Processing methods and microbial assessment of pito (an African indigenous beer), at selected production sites in Ghana

Pito is an indigenous sorghum beer brewed on household basis with variation in product quality. The brewery processes for assuring the quality of the drink have not been clearly defined. To evaluate the brewery processes at 12 selected brewery sites in Ghana, the study adopted oral interviews/survey, observations and laboratory tests that sought to identify differences in processing methods and how they influence the quality of the drink. Pito samples were taken from selected centres at dominant producing areas: the Upper West Region (Nandom), the Northern Region (Tamale) and Ashanti Region (Kumasi). The samples were tested for aflatoxins and coliform levels, and the yeasts and moulds species present were identified. The survey results revealed that there were five similar but sequentially different processing methods currently being used to brew the drink in the selected regions. Pito samples from Kumasi had the highest mould contamination of 3.7 x 10(3). The moulds identified in the beverage were Aspergillus clavatus, Mucor hiemalis, Cladosporium sphaerospemum and Cladosporium herbarum. The yeasts identified were Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Debaryomyces hansenii and Pichia anomala. Aflatoxin was absent in all of the beverage samples, although the malted grain sample from the Tech-Junction in Kumasi showed an aflatoxin concentration of 9.58 ppb. Coliform tests were negative for all of the samples. The study, emphasizes the need for a more controlled and standard method of production to improve on the quality of the drink and to ensure the safety of its consumers. Copyright (C) 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling