Skip to main content
Support

Browse by category

All categories
Fermentation Atlas

Soy and legumes from Benin

Afitin (Beninese néré condiment, no additive)afitin

soft fermented locust-bean condiment for sauces. Made in 5 steps over 32 days. The longest step, preserve (optional), takes 30 days (Azokpota P et al. Aptitude stabilisatrice des…) and runs at 25–28 °C (Azokpota P et al. Aptitude stabilisatrice des…). Salt is 4.8–5 % (Azokpota P et al. Aptitude stabilisatrice des…). Bacillus spp. does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step30 daysMeasured[Azokpota2011]Preserve (optional)
Temperature25–28 °CMeasured[Azokpota2011]Preserve (optional)
Salt4.8–5 %Measured[Azokpota2011]Preserve (optional)
AciditypH 8.2–8.6Measured[Azokpota2011]Preserve (optional)
DocumentedSoy and legumes32 daysMore soy and legumesMore from Benin

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
African locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) seeds
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 32 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play

What changes: Néré seeds boil for about 12 hours until the coats soften

Step 1 of 5
First cook of whole seeds
Time
12 h
Reported
Temperature
100
Unconfirmed
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Bacillus proteolysis

Output: cooked seeds.

Flavour
astringency lost
Texture
seed coat softens
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

killed

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Parkia seeds fermented ~24 h with no additive (vs iru/sonru 48 h with additive) (Azokpota P. et al., Int J Biol Chem Sci 2007;1:211-222 and World J Microbiol Biotechnol, via search summary and Akanni2018 reference list)

Safety

Staphylococcus attributed to handling; salt-oil-chilli treatment controlled faecal indicators [Azokpota2011]

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus (lower numbers, from handling).

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [Zannou2018] Zannou O, Chabi IB, Koca I. Some traditional fermented food from African locust beans (Parkia biglobosa): production and volatile compounds. GSJ 2018;6(9):673-paper
  2. [Azokpota2011] Azokpota P et al. Aptitude stabilisatrice des conservateurs traditionnels de l'afitin. Cahiers Agricultures 2011;20(6)paper
  3. [s3] Azokpota P, Hounhouigan DJ, Nago MC 2006 (cited via search summary of AGRIS)other