2.2. Isolation of bacterial cultures
The isolation of the bacterial species for the controlled fermentation of cotton seeds (G. hirsutum) was carried out using a sample of Owoh from cotton seeds that was traditionally fermented. 10 ml of distilled water was discharged into six McCartney bottles and then sterilised in an autoclave at 121 °C for 15 min. The bottles were allowed to cool, after which a sterilised (flamed) wire loop was used to pick each of the samples into them to make suspensions. The bottles were gently shaken to dislodge the associated microorganism into the solution. Plate Count agar (PCA), De Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) Agar and Agar technical were prepared together and sterilised in an autoclave at 121 °C for 15 min. The PCA was used for plate count, MRS agra supplied the nutrients necessary for the growth of the bacterial species while agar technical assisted in the rapid gelling/solidification of the PCA. 1 ml of the suspensions of all the samples was measured with needle and syringe and dispensed onto sterile petridishes after which the cooled but not solidified sterile nutrient agar was then carefully poured onto the sterile petridishes and allowed to solidify. The petridishes were placed in the incubator at 35±2 °C for 24 h.