Product characterization of kodo ko jaanr: fermented finger millet beverage of the Himalayas

Kodo ko jaanr is a traditional mild-alcoholic beverage prepared from seeds of finger millets in the Eastern Himalayas. Forty samples of kodo ko jaanr were collected from the Darjeeling hills and Sikkim in India and subjected to microbiological and analytical characterization. Population of yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was detected at the level of 7.1 and 5.9 log cfu g−1, respectively. Yeasts consisted of Pichia anomala, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida glabrata, Saccharomycopsis fibuligera, and LAB consisted of Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus bifermentans in kodo ko jaanr samples. Samples were tested for pathogenic contaminants. Enterobacteriaceae, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus were not detected in any sample. The pH, moisture, acidity and alcohol content of the product were 4.1, 69.7%, 0.27% and 4.8%, respectively. Kodo ko jaanr is rich in crude fibre. Ash, fat, protein and calorie content remained the same as that of substrate.