gained importance in product diversification (Melini et al., 2019).
The practice of vegetable fermentation was passed from generation
to generation in the old times without full knowledge of the involved
fermentative bacteria and the induced health promoting properties.
Often, vegetables that were most abundant within the communities
had such processing techniques employed in an effort to diversify
their utilization. Recent developments in vegetable fermentation
have promoted process optimization to the point of developing
starter cultures from the most abundant lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
isolates (Touret et al., 2018). This has aided technology transfer and
commercialization of good quality products from the vegetables.
Fermented vegetable products such as Kimchi and sauerkraut have
been incorporated into diets and recipes of many countries through
this (Özer & Kalkan-Yıldırım, 2019). In improving keeping quality of
the vegetables, the fermentation process often inhibits the growth
of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms (Khanna, 2019; Xiong
et al., 2016). Through the hurdle technology, fermented vegetables
subjected to drying can keep for three months, bridging the
gap of seasonal availability of the vegetables (Muchoki et al., 2010).
Moreover, the sensory quality which has often been a limiting factor
in the continued utilization of especially the value added African
leafy vegetables (ALVs) is improved (Ayed et al., 2020; Owade
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