Microflora and Chemical Composition of Momoni, a Ghanaian Fermented Fish Condiment

A total of 67 microbial strains were isolated from momoni, a Ghanaian fermented fish condiment obtained from retail outlets. The strains belonged to nine genera of micro-organisms namely Bacillus,Lactobacillus , Pseudomonas, Pediococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella,Debaryomyces , Hansenula and Aspergillus with Bacillus having a predominant occurrence of 37.7%. Average values of 5.8×107–4.1×108 cfu/g were obtained for the microbial count. The chemical constituents of fermented fish condiment were a moisture content of 50%, protein values of 16.8–21.9%, a titratable acidity of 2%, and a pH of above 6.0. The predominant amino acid of themomoni samples was glutamic acid (12.4–14.5%). The high pH and the low level of lactic acid bacteria (103 cfu/g) and the high salt content of momoni (294–310/kg) suggest that the fermentation process of the fish condiment is mediated by the endogenous enzymes of the fish rather than the associated micro-organisms.