Assessment of amino acid profile, anti-nutritional compounds, and sensory properties of optimized locust beans with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SAL-IMIE02 and Limosilactobacillus fermentum SAL-IMIE01 as starter cultures

The study aimed to evaluate the amino acid profile, anti-nutritional compounds, and sensory properties of optimized locust beans fermented using Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SAL-IMIE02 and Limosilactobacillus fermentum SAL-IMIE01 as starter cultures. Amino acid quantification was conducted using an Amino Acid Analyzer (Technicon Instruments Corporation, New York), while the determination of anti-nutritional compounds followed the method described by Ajayi (2011). The condiments were served to a panel of 60 untrained members familiar with the products, who evaluated attributes such as appearance, aroma, texture, and overall acceptability based on a 9-point Hedonic scale (Oke et al., 2023).Overall, there was a significant increase in the concentration of all amino acids—lysine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, valine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and threonine—in locust beans produced through co-fermentation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SAL-IMIE02 and Limosilactobacillus fermentum SAL-IMIE01compared to the commercial sample. Additionally, the analysis of anti-nutritional compounds in the optimized samples and the control group revealed a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in Phytate content (from 45.4 ± 0.7 mg/100g to 15.9 ± 0.3 mg/100g), oxalate (from 160.5 ± 1.7 mg/100g to 49.4 ± 0.8 mg/100g), cyanide (from 12.8 ± 0.2 mg/kg to 4.3 ± 0.2 mg/kg), saponin (from 3.89 ± 0.03% to 1.78 ± 0.03%), phenolic compounds (from 4.08 ± 0.03 mg GAE/g to 2.38 ± 0.03 mg GAE/g), and flavonoids (from 3.06 ± 0.04 mg QE/g to 1.87 ± 0.02 mg QE/g). Furthermore, nitrate and tannin contents decreased significantly (from 15.6 ± 0.1 mg/kg to 6.7 ± 0.1 mg/kg; and from 8.18 ± 0.03 mg/g to 3.88 ± 0.03 mg/g, respectively) in the optimized locust beans.Locust beans fermented with  Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SAL-IMIE02 and Limosilactobacillus fermentum SAL-IMIE01 received higher scores for color (8.83 ± 0.81), texture (8.33 ± 1.04), taste (7.53 ± 1.17), consistency (7.94 ± 1.30), and overall acceptability (9.31 ± 0.54) compared to the commercial locust beans. The results of this study support the fact that Lactobacillus spp. fermentation significantly enhances the composition and acceptability of fermented foods.