Microflora of Boza, a traditional fermented Turkish beverage

Boza, a Turkish traditional beverage made by yeast and lactic acid fermentation of cooked maize, wheat and rice flours was prepared and the microbial characteristics were investigated. During the course of fermentation from 0 to 24 h, populations of lactic acid bacteria and yeast raised from 7.6 × 106 and 2.25 × 105 after inoculation to 4.6 × 108 and 8.1 × 106, respectively; pH dropped from 6.1 to 3.5; total titratable acidity by means of lactic acid increased from 0.02 to 0.27 mmol/g; alcohol content increased from 0.017% to 0.79%. Seventy seven isolates of lactic acid bacteria and 70 yeast isolates were identified. The lactic acid bacteria isolated during the fermentation included Leuconostoc paramesenteroides (25.6%), Lactobacillus sanfrancisco (21.9%), Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides (18.6%), Lactobacillus coryniformis (9.1%), L. confusus (7.8%), Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. dextranicum (7.3%), Lactobacillus fermentum (6.5%), Leuconostoc oenos (3.7%). The yeasts isolated comprised Saccharomyces uvarum (83.0%) and S. cerevisiae (17.0%).