Antibacterial and Nutritional Properties of Sorghum-Derived Ogi Enriched with Ginger, Turmeric, Cinnamon, and Clove

Ogi is a traditional fermented gruel widely consumed across ages, tribes, and religions in Nigeria. Nutrient loss occurs during the processing of ogi, which results in malnutrition, and the issue of antibiotic resistance keeps increasing. Ogi is traditionally produced by unskilled workers who have little or no knowledge of good hygiene and quality control practices. Therefore, the study aimed to incorporate different spices into ogi to examine both the nutritional benefits and antibacterial properties. Sorghum grains were purchased, sorted, and processed into ogi, and garlic, ginger, clove, cinnamon, and turmeric were added at a 5% concentration. The pH of the effluents was determined using a pH meter, while the antimicrobial susceptibility test was done using the agar well diffusion method. Thereafter, the proximate and mineral composition were studied using standard methods. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to detect the presence of functional groups in the samples. The pH ranged between 4.2 to 5.6, while the antibacterial susceptibility test demonstrated varying activities with each spice inclusion. However, ogi + garlic had the highest activity (17 mm) against E. coli 70728. The proximate composition varied from moisture (9.58 ± 0.04 – 14.76 ± 0.06), fat (1.28 ± 0.06 – 8.24 ± 0.05), ash (14.38 ± 0.04 – 38.45 ± 0.05), protein (4.36 ± 0.00 – 12.63 ± 0.07), crude fiber (1.72 ± 0.02 – 5.63 ± 0.20), and carbohydrates (32.44 ± 0.16 – 52.45 ± 0.03) (%). The concentration of Ca, K, and P increased in ogi enriched with cinnamon. Meanwhile, Mg and Na were enhanced when ogi was enriched with clove. Hence, the results showed that incorporating clove, garlic, and turmeric increased the fibre content. Fibre helps to reduce cholesterol levels, coronary heart disease, and lowers the risk of breast and colon cancer, diabetes, and hypertension. The ogi + ginger and ogi + clove had high carbohydrates compared to the control, which suggests that they would be good sources of energy. The presence of hydroxyl and other functional groups was confirmed by the FTIR analysis. This study confirmed the antibacterial and nutritional improvement of sorghum-derived ogi enriched with spices.