Preparation of Alibo Using Lactic Acid Bacteria with Antifungal Activity as Starter Cultures

Alibo is a traditional fermented cereal-based food whose quality and safety are largely dependent on spontaneous fermentation. This study evaluated the use of selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with antifungal activity as starter cultures to improve the nutritional quality, safety, sensory acceptability, and shelf life of alibo. Alibo samples were produced using Lactobacillus plantarum LM8, Lactobacillus brevis LM26, a consortium of both strains, and a traditionally prepared control without starter culture. Proximate composition, anti-nutrient content, mineral composition, organoleptic properties, and shelf-life stability at 25 °C were determined using standard analytical methods. Starter culture–fermented alibo showed significantly reduced moisture content (67.40% in control to 46.68% in consortium-fermented samples), hydrogen cyanide (0.40 to 0.02 mg/100 g), and phytate levels (1.60 to 0.80 mg/100 g) compared with the control (p ≤ 0.05). Protein content increased from 2.00% in the control to 2.31% in the consortium-fermented product, while sensory acceptability scores improved from 3.3 to 4.6. Shelf-life studies showed delayed microbial growth, with the consortium-fermented alibo exhibiting the longest storage stability under ambient conditions.The results suggest that controlled fermentation using antifungal LAB starter cultures can enhance the nutritional quality, safety, sensory attributes, and storage stability of alibo, supporting their application in traditional food processing.