Indigenous grains for food production have the potential to combat food insecurity and poverty in Africa. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of sourdough fermentation on the acidity, microbiological quality, microbial diversity and rheological properties of three underutilized African cereals. The sourdoughs had pH ranging from 3.9 to 4.1. Finger millet and pearl millet sourdoughs had LAB counts >7 log cfu g⁻¹ indicating they are suitable for use as starter culture(s). Microbial diversity was determined using culture dependent techniques and the identity of isolates was established using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This showed the presence of Bacillus, Brevibacillus, Acinetobacter and Pediococcus species in the sourdoughs. An occurrence of Candida glabrata was observed in finger millet sourdough. Sourdough fermentation resulted in significant increases (p < 0.05) in the peak, trough and final viscosity of pearl millet and sorghum. A lower setback in the three samples indicated improved shelf-life. Starter culture(s) were identified that might be used in the production of gluten-free baked foods as a result of sourdough fermentation.

用于粮食生产的土著谷物有可能与非洲的粮食不安全和贫困作斗争。该研究的目的是确定酵母发酵对三种未充分利用的非洲谷物的酸度，微生物质量，微生物多样性和流变特性的影响。酸面团的pH为3.9至4.1。手指粟和珍珠粟酸面团的LAB计数> 7 log cfu g ^-1，表明它们适合用作发酵剂。使用培养依赖性技术确定微生物多样性，并使用16S rRNA基因测序确定分离株的身份。这表明存在芽孢杆菌，短杆菌，不动杆菌和球菌酵母中的种类。在小米手指面团中观察到光滑念珠菌的发生。酵母发酵导致珍珠粟和高粱的峰值，谷值和最终粘度显着增加（p <0.05）。三个样品中较低的挫折表明货架期得到改善。已鉴定出发酵剂可用于发酵生产无麸质烘焙食品的发酵剂。