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Fermentation Atlas

Other from Western Sudan

Sigda (fermented sesame oil-cake, Sudan)sigda

dry sour balls used as a meat substitute in vegetable stews; dried sigda 440 g/kg crude protein with sesame's high sulphur amino acids; lysine most limiting [Elfaki1991]. Made in 3 steps over 3 days – 7 days. The longest step, ferment sealed, remix, takes 3–7 days (Dirar H.A. Leaf and Seed Fermentations of Wes…) and runs at 30 °C (Dirar H.A. Leaf and Seed Fermentations of Wes…). Pediococcus sp. and Streptococcus sp. do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–7 daysReported[NRC1992]Ferment sealed, remix
Temperature30 °CReported[NRC1992]Ferment sealed, remix
AciditypH 6 → 4Measured[Elfaki1991]Ferment sealed, remix
DocumentedOther3 days – 7 daysMore otherMore from Sudan

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedWhat goes in. No source gives amounts for this ferment.
sesame seedcake left after oil pressing (cake from non-decorticated seed is bitter and usually fed to animals)
warm water
kambo potash (optional)
Starter: spontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 3 days – 7 days

Start
Drag the bar or press Play
pH 6shapes, not to countPediococcusStreptococcusSaccharomycesCandida

What changes: Sesame press cake is ground to a paste with warm water and potash

Step 1 of 3
Grind seedcake to a paste with warm water; add kambo
Time
Not documented
Temperature
warm water
Unconfirmed
Salt
None given
Acidity
pH 6
Measured
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Pediococcus
Streptococcus
Saccharomyces
Candida
Yeasts

Output: sigda paste.

Flavour
bitter, oily
Texture
paste
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

raw cake carries Pediococcus, Streptococcus, Saccharomyces and Candida

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

An acid (lactic) seed ferment, unlike the alkaline Bacillus seed condiments of West Africa.

Safety

An acid (lactic) seed ferment, unlike the alkaline Bacillus condiments; the pH drop to ~4 is the main safety barrier.

History and sources

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

Documented in Dirar's work on Sudanese ferments; grouped with kawal and furundu as solid-state meat substitutes made from cheap protein-rich plant materials. Furundu's fermentation is intermediate between sigda (acid) and kawal (alkaline) [Elfaki1991 summary].

  1. [Elfaki1991] Elfaki A.E., Dirar H.A., Collins M.A., Harper D.B. Biochemical and microbiological investigations of sigda — a Sudanese fermented food derived from sesame oilseed cake. J Sci Food Agric 1991;57(3):351–365, doi:10.1002/jsfa.2740570306 (abstract via search summary)paper
  2. [NRC1992] Dirar H.A. Leaf and Seed Fermentations of Western Sudan. In: Applications of Biotechnology to Traditional Fermented Foods, National Research Council 1992, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234668/ (text read via search extract; the page blocked direct fetch)gov