Plants and procedures used for traditional processing of sour milk (Amakamo) by the Bahima of Kiruhura District, Uganda

Abstract

Amakamo, a traditionally fermented milk product has been consumed by the cattle keeping communities of South-Western Uganda for a long time but its production process is not well understood. To achieve this, a cross-sectional study was carried out in Kiruhura District to document the plants and procedures followed during amakamo processing though interviews and focus group discussions. The plants were collected, identified and vouchers deposited at the Makerere University Herbarium. A total of 108 respondents were interviewed, majority of whom were females (92.6%), had experience in amakamo processing ranging between 20 and 29 years (69.4%), and learnt the skill from their parents (92%). Most (55.6%) respondents were aged between 31 and 40 years, processed amakamo daily (88%), mainly for home consumption (92.6%). The key steps in amakamo processing include cream separation, boiling, cooling, backslopping, fermentation and curd breaking. The most reported cause of amakamo processing failure is the plant used to smoke the vessels (60. 2%, n=108), followed by poor quality starter culture (18.5 %, n=108). The commonest sign of unsuccessfully processed amakamo is milk separation (60.2 %, n=108). Eighteen plants belonging to 14 families were reported most of which (16.7%) belong to Poaceae family. All respondents (100%) cited Thunbergia alata, Hoslundia opposita, Albizia coriaria, Combretum molle, Loudetia kagerensis and Hyparrhenia filipendula as useful plants in amakamo processing. The most predominant plant life forms were shrubs (33.3%) followed by trees (27.8%). Most plants (27.8%) were used to scrub and smoke fermentation vessels. Aerial parts were the most commonly (50%) used parts and almost all (94.4%) of the plants used were from wild habitats. Further studies should be done to investigate the phytochemical composition of the plants used to smoke fermentation vessels and how they affect the quality of the amakamo.