Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 12(3), July 2013, pp. 512-517 A study on the fermentation pattern of common millets in Koozh preparation – a traditional South Indian food Geetha Thirumangaimannan & Kalaichelvan Gurumurthy* School of Biosciences and Technology, VIT University, Vellore - 632014, Tamil Nadu, India E-mail: kalaichelvan@gmail.com Received 10.10.11, revised 10.10.11 Koozh is a popular South Indian traditional food made from finger millet (Eleucine corocana Gaertn.). The traditional preparation method was applied to other common millets, viz. Pearl millet [Pennisitum typhoides (Burm.f.) Stapf & C.E. Hubbard], Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench and Maize (Zea mays L.). The fermentation process was monitored for microbial succession. The biochemical changes and sensory properties were evaluated and compared with traditional finger millet fermentation process. Microbial profile and biochemical changes in selected millets were identical to traditional fermentation process. Starch hydrolysers were the primary players in the initial hours (0 -10 hrs) of fermentation in all grains, while lactic acid bacteria (LAB) dominated the later hours (0 – 15 hrs). Starch hydrolysis was the major biochemical transformation occurred during the initial fermentation period, and in later conversion of sugar into acids took place which made the medium acidic. Koozh prepared from pearl millet and sorghum had sharp flavor and received acceptability from consumers, while Maize Koozh did not appeal to the consumers. This study is an attempt to add variety to traditional process and to improve commercial value and marketability. Keywords: Porridge fermentation, Lactic acid bacteria, Yeast, Enterobacter, Starch hydrolysers, Finger millet, Pearl millet, Sorghum, Maize IPC Int. Cl. 8 : A61K 36/00, A47G 19/26, A47J 39/02, A23, A21, C12N 1/16- C12N 1/18, C12M, C12N, C12N 1/00 Millets were used as staple food for thousands of years by people in Asian and African countries before rice became a common commodity to man. Various millet based traditional preparations are available throughout the world and fermentation of millets is a common practice 1 . Fermentation has a positive influence on grains 2, 3, 4 , and also inevitable with regard to millet preparations, which is well recognized and accepted from ancient times. Traditional fermented foods have received extensive scientific attention and many traditional preparations have been analyzed for their microbiological, enzymological and biochemical changes 5, 6, 7 . Almost all traditional preparations start with natural fermentation involving mixed microbial cultures. Previous reports on fermentation of grains stated major transformations occurring during the process, viz. starch hydrolysis, sugar transformation, improvement of protein, mineral availability 8, 9 and grain softening 10, 11, 12 . In South India, among the five common millets, finger millet is commonly consumed and others are not usually included in the diet. One of the popular traditional finger millet preparations in south India is Koozh which has long history and is mainly associated with the local population. This fermented food was best known for its flavor and nutritive value, so it was regularly used as a breakfast meal which was then slowly replaced by rice based foods. Now, it is again becoming popular, as an alternative carbohydrate source for rice and wheat. Hence, Koozh preparation has been started as a small scale business and only finger millet is commonly used as raw material. This study is an attempt to include other millets, viz. Pearl millet, Maize and Sorghum in koozh preparation with the aim of adding variety, nutritive quality and commercial value to koozh market. The preparatory method of koozh is unique which involves two fermentation stages. Primary fermentation of koozh was done for 12 – 15 hrs which forms the basis for the product quality and sensory properties. Hence, in this study comparative analysis was done on the microbial and —————— *Corresponding author