Prof. Mona Ahmed Agab: The Sudanese Woman is a Scientist by Instinct, Deserves Patent for Inventing the Traditional Fermented Food
10 September, 2015KHARTOUM (SUDANOW)— The use of the process of Fermentation is a traditional technique used for preservation of food for use during scarcity. For example traditional fermented foods are Miris, Kawal, Faseikh, Frundu. These fermented foods are only in the Sudan and cannot be found in Europe or any other place in the world and considered as method of development in food technology.
Professor Mona Ahmed Agab Arbab is a former director of the technical department of the Sudanese Standards and Metrology Organization (SSMO) and is a former scientist in the Food Research Center. Her work is research on food microbiology as well as teaching in the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Environmental Sanitation in University of Khartoum. Her research work concerning the environment included the use of microorganisms for the cleanup of the oil pollution (petroleum water) in Hegleig area.
An interview by SUDANOW with this scientist ran as follows:-
SUDANOW: Could you please brief us on some of your research work on the Sudanese traditional fermented foods?
Prof. Mona: It is a wide field that evoked my interest in fermentation which is biotechnological methods (the use of living micro-organisms in fermentation). A remarkable number of Ph.D and M.Sc. students have conducted important research dissertations in biotechnology which is still open for further research work as the entire world has got involved in, after recent developments in biotechnology. Scientific Data on identification of microorganisms and their use in biotechnology electronically stored which facilitated the methods for identification of bacteria. Now this information emerged into the new topic “Bio-informatics”, a programme which I wish it would be taught in universities due to its importance.
Q: How important is this programme?
A: It is an easy one that provides the researcher with an electronic information in methodology for identifying the different kinds of bacteria for use in fermentation, making use of electronically preserved data and information.
Q: Could you brief us on the different kinds of bacteria?
A: There are many kinds of bacteria, some of which can break down different types of ingredients which are undesirable. For example the breakdown of fat into fermented fat (miris) which is edible, while fat itself can not be eaten. Also Fermentation can be applied for production of ethanol from sugar-cane molasses. It can be used as an alternative energy with petroleum for minimizing the rates of poisonous gases ascending from vehicles and harming the ozone layer.
Q: Which fields of fermentation you have worked in?
A: I worked on molasses fermentation in 1973 in which living microorganism mainly yeast are used for breaking down the sugar in molasses into ethanol, baking yeast and production of the single-cell protein which is added to poultry and fish feed. I was the first one to work on fermentation of molasses for my M.Sc. degree which was under the supervision of Professor Hamid Ahmed Dirar, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, and obtained my master's degree in 1976. Since then I have become engaged in the field of the traditional fermented Sudanese food. Each research generates research using microorganisms like bacteria.I worked also in fermentation of the Sudanese traditional sorghum drink; Hulu Mur (Sudanow 24 Jul 2014 issue) abreh abiad (white sorghum drink) and miris. I worked also on faseikh, a kind of fermented fish, where there is a certain kind of bacterium which operates in a certain environment with a specific ion hydrogen concentration in the presence of salt. Fermentation of each kind of food requires a specific environment and a specific bacterium; for instance the bacterium which is used for fasekh differs from the one used in fermentation of hulu- mur and the bacterium used for fermentation of abreh abiad differs from the one used for the fermentation of karkadeh seeds which is used for making frundu.
Q: What is the nutritional value of fermented kisra?
A: The fermented kisra (the popular Sudanese bread made from sorghum flour) contains natural elements such as vitamin B group and lactic acid.
Q: Could you give us other examples of fermented foods?
A: There is the frundu which is made from karkadeh seeds, the karkadeh seeds contains carcinogenic compounds which are poisonous but bacteria can ferment these seeds which will be edible food. Secondly, there is miris which is fermented fats also when fermented by certain bacterium, it becomes edible while when it is fresh fat, it can not be eaten because it contains cholesterol.
The third product is the food which is prepared from fermented bones. Bones can be fermented by certain bacteria which soften the bones and turns into a pleasant food.
The fourth fermented food is kawal which is prepared by fermenting leaves of the acacia plant ‘Acacia optusifolia’ the preparation for fermentation of this particular product is different because the fermentation of the leaves should be under an anaerobic fermentation that is to say fermentation with no air. The leaves will be put in a pot made of mud and buried under the ground for some time because the fermenting bacteria do not work in an open air. Kawal is very nutritious. The protein it contains is higher than that of beef. Also, it is rich in essential amino acids and calcium. We have a British colleague who has been keen to maintain sufficient stock of kawal powder with him all the time.
In this talk, allow me to point to other contributions by a number of scientists women like Professor Sit Al-Nafar Mahjoub, the former director of the Food Research Center, whose research was on the mixed wheat-sorghum flour for making bread when sorghum at that time is plentiful and cheap. I must also mention the late Dr. Layla Zachariah, whose research was on production of seeds for the seedless sugar cane (Sudanow 6 Feb. 2015 issue).
Q: Are there other usage for bacteria?
A: Yes, there are other usages such as decontamination of water in oil-producing regions. At present I am working with two post-graduate students, a master's female and a Ph.D male doing research in cleanup of water in those regions, using different types of bacteria. We found out that a certain bacterium can break down the hydro-carbons in petroleum water which contaminate the water and the environment.This is an important issue for us and for the Sudan. It is those minute creatures which can break down those substances and purify the water which can also be used in agriculture as it is a successful research experiment and is was highly appreciated.
Drugs are also manufactured from bacteria and fungi as penicillin is manufactured from Penicillium fungus. But it was recently found out that there is some resistance to penicillin for curing diseases. European Scientists are looking for other microorganism drugs.
Bacteria can therefore be utilized to the maximum, particularly in the food industries. This makes assert that the Sudanese woman is an expert, especially in the scientific research; she was the one who, by instinct, invented fermentation to preserve food and create new nutritious foods. This can be considered a great technological development. Fermentation which was invented by the Sudanese woman for food preservation and industry was not discovered by the Europeans but was unique Sudanese. So the Sudanese woman therefore deserves to be granted the patent for her invention of fermentation “ Intellectual Property”.
E N D
MAS/ AS
Photo of the Week
Khartoum (Sudanow) — In just three days, the war in Sudan will complete its third year since it erupted on April 15, 2023. The conflict pits the Sudanese Armed Forces, supported by allied forces, against the rebel militia and its backers at both regional and international levels. Experts believe this war is no longer purely an internal affair; rather, it has evolved into...
More-
13 April, 2026
Stories from the Heart of the Battlefield War and the Growing Suffering of People with Disabilities
Khartoum (Sudanow) — As the war in Sudan enters its fourth year, and destruction has affected everyone, the suffering of people with disabilities has doubled. This vulnerable group faces severe risks due to war, displacement, and the difficulty of accessing medical and humanitarian aid, in addition to the near-total collapse of educational, medical, and rehabilitation services. To understand the scale of suffering and t...
Contact Us
Address: Sudan News Agency (SUNA) Building, Jamhoria Street, Khartoum - Sudan
Mobile:+249 909220011 / +249 912307547