Evaluation of fermentation conditions to improve the sensory quality of broomcorn millet sour porridge

This study aimed to evaluate the use of three strains, namely, Lactobacillus brevis L1, Acetobacter aceti A1 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae E4, as inocula for the fermentation of broomcorn millet sour porridge, and the effect of different conditions on sour porridge fermentation. Results showed that these three strains were all suitable for the broomcorn millet sour porridge fermentation, and the combination of L1, A1 and E4 (1∶1∶1, v/v/v) was the best combination of strains starter. The optimal fermentation conditions were liquid-to-solid ratio of 3.33 (v/w), inoculum size of 4.71% (v/v), fermentation time of 31.94 h and fermentation temperature of 30.47 °C. In the verification experiment, the sensory evaluation score of sour porridge was extremely close to the predicted value, and the sensory evaluation was the following: milk white, sour smell, millet taste and soft, and the titratable acidity was 74.5 °T. The viable cell counts of bacteria and yeast surviving in the sour porridge were 2.3 × 1012 and 1.4 × 1011 CFU/mL, respectively.