Occurrence of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts at species and strain level during spontaneous fermentation of mawè, a cereal dough produced in West Africa

LAB (n = 321) and yeasts (n = 298), isolated during the fermentations, were identified. The predominant LAB and yeast species were Lactobacillus fermentum and Pichia kudriavzevii, respectively, followed by Kluyveromyces marxianus, all present throughout the mawè fermentations. Further, microbial successions took place with Weissella confusa occurring mostly at the onset, while Pediococcus acidilactici and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were mainly associated with the end of the fermentations. Species diversity was influenced both by type of cereal and production condition. The dominating strain clusters of L. fermentum and P. kudriavzevii were ubiquitous and strain diversities were influenced by type of cereal and production site.