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Fermentation Atlas

Other from Nigeria: Niger Delta

Owoh (fermented cottonseed)owoh

Soup condiment. Unlike iru and soy-iru, it is not fried and eaten as a snack [Sanni1991, via David2007-owoh]. Fermentation lowers the iodine value of the cottonseed oil from 109 to 81 and raises the acid value from 2.1 to 6.9 [David2007-owoh]. Made in 4 steps over 3.1 days – 5.2 days. The longest step, wrap and ferment, takes 3–5 days (Starter culture development for the productio…) and runs at 35–37 °C (Starter culture development for the productio…). Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–5 daysReported[BiotechAsia-owoh][David2007-owoh]Wrap and ferment
Temperature35–37 °CReported[BiotechAsia-owoh][David2007-owoh]Wrap and ferment
AciditypH 4.5–8.2Reported[David2007-owoh][BiotechAsia-owoh]Wrap and ferment
DocumentedOther3.1 days – 5.2 daysMore otherMore from NigeriaMore from Niger

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
cottonseed (Gossypium spp.)
African yam bean (alternative substrate)
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 3.1 days – 5.2 days

Start
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What changes: Whole cottonseed boils for an hour, then the hulls come off

Step 1 of 4
Boil the whole cottonseed and dehull
Time
1 h
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Bacillus

Output: cotyledons.

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

Made from cottonseed rather than locust bean, and possibly less alkaline than iru: measured pH values run from acid to alkaline. A 2026 review groups owoh-type Bacillus ferments at pH 8.5–9 [PMC13025381].

Safety

gossypol toxicity in cottonseed requires proper processing (typical)

History and sources

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

The primary description is Sanni and Ogbonna 1991 [Sanni1991]; a 2026 review places owoh in the Niger Delta among the Urhobo and Itsekiri [PMC13564609].

  1. [Sanni1991] Sanni A.I., Ogbonna D.N. 1991, The production of owoh, a Nigerian fermented seasoning agent from cotton seed (Gossypium hirsutum L.), Food Microbiol 8:223–229, doi:10.1016/0740-0020(91)90054-6paper
  2. [David2007-owoh] David O.M., Falegan C.R. 2007, Effect of fermentation on cottonseed oils, J Pure Appl Microbiol 1(2)paper
  3. [BiotechAsia-owoh] Starter culture development for the production of owoh, Biosci Biotech Res Asia 5(1)paper
  4. [PMC13564609] Ethnogeographic distribution of Nigerian fermented foods, Foods 2026;15(17):3087paper
  5. [PMC13025381] Review of African yam bean and owoh-type Bacillus ferments, 2026paper