Sen- BICPHa : Screening of bacteria of interest for improving the preservation and quality of traditional fermented fish products in Senegal

Context:

In Senegal, many fishery and aquaculture products are processed using traditional methods that combine salting, fermentation, and drying. However, the diversity of local and artisanal practices makes it difficult to control product quality and safety, thus limiting their potential for development and promotion on national and international markets. A promising solution for standardizing these processes lies in the use of controlled starter cultures for fermentation.

Objectives:

The aim of this project is to map and inventory guedj and yeet-type fermented products and processing practices, and to sample selected products for microbiological (classical methods and NGS approaches), physicochemical, and sensory characterization. The next step will be to screen the bacteria involved in fermentation in order to select strains with features of interest for improving product quality and safety, and then use them to optimize the fermentation of fishery products. This project will help improve the processing practices of fermented aquatic products, their overall quality, and their preservation, with the ultimate goal of having a socio-economic impact on micro-enterprises involved in production.

Start date: January 2025

Duration: 2 years

Partners:

The project brings together partners from Gaston Berger University in Senegal, UMR Secalim INRAE, and UMR Qualisud, who have complementary expertise in the field of food microbiology and process engineering applied to marine products.

Coordination: Marie-France Pilet, SECALIM

Funding: AAP TSARA Starter