Abstract :
[en] Samples of traditional sorghum beer Ikigage was collected in the southern province of Rwanda and
analyzed for microbiological and physico-chemical contents. Ikigage contained total aerobic
mesophilic bacteria (33.55 x 106 cfu/ml), yeast (10.15 x 106 cfu/ml), lactic acid bacteria (35.35 x 104
cfu/ml), moulds (4.12 x 104 cfu/ml), E. coli (21.90 x 103 cfu/ml), fecal streptococci (22.50 x 103 cfu/ml),
Staphylococcus aureus (16.02 x 103 cfu/ml), total coliform (32.30 x 103 cfu/ml), ethanol, soluble protein,
reducing sugars, total acidity, pH and Brix were 2.2% (v/v), 9.2 g/l, 2.3, 1.7%, 3.9 and 11.5 bx,
respectively. The yeast was identified by API 20 C test and confirmed by PCR-Sequencing of ITS-5.8S
region of rDNA. Seventy yeasts isolated in the samples were found to belong to either Saccharomyces
cerevisae, Candida inconspicua, Issatchenkia orientalis, Candida magnolia and Candida humilis. Lactic
acid bacteria were identified using the API 50 CHL system. Ten different isolates of lactic acid bacteria
belonged exclusively to the genus Lactobacillus: Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus buchneri, and
Lactobacillus sp. The micro-organisms of fecal origin are from the water and the operations postfermentation
process. The presence of potential pathogens emphasizes the importance of developing
starter cultures with GRAS status for commercialization of ikigage.
