Fermented corn germ flour with Saccharomyces cerevisiae: physicochemical and technological characteristics as a function of yeast concentration and incubation temperature

Abstract

The present study aimed to verify the viability of solid fermentation (SF) of raw corn germ with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and to examine the effect of yeast concentration and incubation temperature on the physicochemical, functional, and technological properties of fermented corn germ flour (FCGF). The independent variables influenced ash and protein content, total phenolic compounds (TPC), antioxidant activity by FRAP (AAFRAP), and water solubility index (WSI). The protein content in FCGF varied from 9.35 to 12.46 g 100 g−1, TPC from 659.48 to 817.03 mg of gallic acid equivalent 100 g−1, and WSI from 33.66 to 49.60%. These results indicate that yeast concentration and incubation temperature significantly affect some properties of the fermented product, demonstrating that corn germ SF is a viable method for producing a new ingredient with potential for nutritional and functional enrichment.