Production and Nutritional Charactistics of Gowe Flour, a Traditional Fermented Food Produced from Corn in Benin

The objective of this study is to develop an adequate preservation process for gowé, a fermented paste of germinated maize grains. To do this, drying experiments and physicochemical and nutritional analyzes were carried out. The results of the physicochemical analyzes showed that the pH, the dry matter and the proteins decrease during the fermentation. After 12 hours of fermentation, the dough obtained showed on average a pH of 3.9, an acidity of 13.31%, a moisture content of 67.15% and a protein content of 9.18%. Moreover, the evaluation of the nutritional characteristics revealed that gowé was richer in magnesium than in calcium and iron. In addition, the introduction of the drying system in the gowé production technology made it possible to obtain a product in the form of a biscuit with a pleasant aroma, which was ground by a disc mill to obtain the gowé flour. Analyzes showed that this flour had a pH of 3.95 with a moisture content of 9.7%. It contained proteins, calcium, iron and was richer in magnesium with a content of 73.72mg/100g. Statistical analysis of the data obtained indicated that apart from the dry matter, there was no significant difference (P≤0.05) found between the fermented dough and the gowé flour. This drying technology therefore makes it possible to maximize the nutrients and can therefore be recommended to producers.