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Fermentation Atlas

Other from Nigeria

Ogiri (egusi melon seed)ògìrì

Ogiri egusi is a pungent, oily seasoning paste from melon seeds. The seeds are boiled to loosen their coats, shelled, boiled again, wrapped in leaves and kept warm for three to seven days while Bacillus bacteria break down their protein and fat and the mass turns alkaline. Made in 6 steps over 3.3 days – 7.3 days. The longest step, ferment warm in the parcels, takes 3–7 days (Oladeji O.A 2025) and runs at 36–40 °C (Oladeji O.A 2025). Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus species (B. subtilis, B. licheniformis, B. megaterium and others) in Nigerian seed condiments generally do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–7 daysReported[oladeji2025]Ferment warm in the parcels
Temperature36–40 °CMeasured[oladeji2025]Ferment warm in the parcels
AciditypH 7.5–7.8Measured[oladeji2025]Ferment warm in the parcels
Fully documentedOther3.3 days – 7.3 daysMore otherMore from Nigeria

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceLaboratory batch from a 2025 Nigerian study that followed local practice; it was split into 200 g portions after shelling. Market producers use no fixed amounts.
1.5 kgMelon seeds, sorted and washed[oladeji2025]
3.0 LBoiling water · For the first boil, to loosen the pericarp[oladeji2025]
Thaumatococcus daniellii leaves · Blanched; used to wrap the seeds and later to pack the paste for sale[oladeji2025]
Newbouldia laevis (akoko) or Icacina trichantha (gbegbe) leaves · Optional; boiled with the seeds for flavour; producers say they keep maggots away[oladeji2025]
Starterspontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.3 days – 7.3 days

Start
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What changes: Starting material: melon seeds boiled until their thin coats loosen

Step 1 of 6
Boil the seeds to loosen the coats
Time
30 min
Measured
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Bacillus breaks

Output: seeds with softened pericarp.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

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

Ogiri egusi uses oily melon seeds where iru uses locust beans. The seeds need only short boils, not the long boil that hard locust beans need, and the paste is softer and oilier.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Ogiri boiled with akoko or gbegbe leavesSeeds boiled with Newbouldia laevis or Icacina trichantha leaves; the N. laevis batch scored best for taste and aroma in a study.
  • Ogiri from undehulled seedOgiri made from Cucumeropsis mannii seeds boiled with their coats on has been compared with dehulled ogiri in a study.
  • Fluted-pumpkin and castor-seed ogiriThe same process with Telfairia or castor seeds; see ogiri and ogiri-igbo.

Safety

Market ogiri can carry S. aureus, E. coli and Enterobacter, and it is easily colonised by moulds. Aflatoxin B1 was found in nearly half of market samples, some above the EU limit of 2 µg/kg, so start from clean, sound seed and cook ogiri into the dish.

Hazards the sources name: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter and Candida albicans, isolated from market ogiri; Aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus; aflatoxin B1 in 48 % of 31 market ogiri samples (3–4 µg/kg) and ochratoxin A in all of them.

History and sources

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

Melon-seed ogiri is made by small producers and sold in local markets such as Okitipupa, Ondo State. It remains uncontrolled solid-state fermentation, so the product varies from place to place.

  1. [oladeji2025] Oladeji O.A., Ogidi C.O. 2025, Enhancing the nutritional and microbiological properties of fermented melon condiment (ogiri) using Newbouldia laevis and Icacina trichantha leaves, Preventive Nutrition and Food Science 30(3):285, doi:10.3746/pnf.2025.30.3.285paper
  2. [olanbiwoninu2026] Olanbiwoninu A.A. et al. 2026, Ethnogeographic distribution of Nigerian fermented foods and the prospects for bioeconomy improvements, Foods 15(17):3087, doi:10.3390/foods15173087paper
  3. [adekoya2017] Adekoya I., Njobeh P., Obadina A., Chilaka C., Okoth S., De Boevre M., De Saeger S. 2017, Awareness and prevalence of mycotoxin contamination in selected Nigerian fermented foods, Toxins 9(11):363, doi:10.3390/toxins9110363paper
  4. [wp-ogiri] English Wikipedia, Ogiri (names only)wiki