## 3 Results and Discussion
### Grain Formation (Rolling and Grading)  
The results showed that making couscous grains involved several steps: mixing and breaking apart, then two different rolling stages, each followed by sizing. This sequence is broadly in line with the work of [PERSON] [22] and [PERSON] [24] regarding durum wheat cousous. However, there is a discrepancy with the study by [PERSON] et al. [21] of _[PERSON]_ couscous, which carried out mixing and first rolling consecutively, without an intermediate disaggregation phase. Once the hydrogel is formed around the coarse semolina particles, a controlled mixture of fine mix and salted water is gradually added in a mass ratio of 200/100 g/g: fine mix/water. Each addition is followed by gentle manual mixing using the fingertips to ensure even dispersion of the ingredients. This important step initiates the wet agglomeration process, leading to the formation of the first aggregated structures called nuclei, and then \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Cousous** & **C1** & **C2** & **C3** & **C4** \\ \hline Respondents (\%) & 48.81 & 25.60 & 13.69 & 10.71 \\ \multicolumn{5}{c}{**Fermented materials incorporation rates**} \\ FA (\%) & 8 & 8 & 6 & 4 \\ FS (\%) & 4 & 0 & 0.8 & 0 \\ FW (\%) & 4 & 0 & 0 & 4 \\ Total incorporation rates (\%) & 16 & 8 & 6.8 & 8 \\ \multicolumn{5}{c}{**Wheat semolina incorporation rate**} \\ Wheat semolina (\%) & 84 & 92 & 93.2 & 92 \\ Total formulation (\%) & 100 & 100 & 100 & 100 \\ \hline \end{tabular} \(\text{C}\): couscous; FS: fermented sorghum; FW: fermented wheat; FA: fermented acorns.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Traditional couscous formulations. coalescence occurs, where fine mix particles stick to wet semolina particles, helping the clumps grow [25]. A total of 64% of those surveyed perform a sieving step to break up the lumps formed. This mechanical process breaks up the lumps by forcing them through the mesh of a 1280 \(\upmu\)m sieve. For wheat couscous, the study by [PERSON] et al. [20] used the same sieve (1280 \(\upmu\)m), while the study by [PERSON] et al. [2] used a sieve with mesh sizes ranging from 2860 to 3300 \(\upmu\)m. The concomitant addition of the flour mixture at this stage plays an essential role in controlling lump cohesion. By dispersing between the particles, the flours help reduce the forces of inter-particle attraction. This action improves sieving efficiency by facilitating the passage of particles through the mesh and optimizing the disaggregation process. The mixture of flours and salt water is added again. The subsequent rolling step is performed using the flat of the hands, applying light pressure to the particles in an arched back-and-forth motion. Following calibration (sieve 1130 \(\upmu\)m), a second rolling operation is performed. This time, stronger pressure is applied with the flat of the hands in a repeated back-and-forth movement to structure and homogenize the particles. Once the wet agglomerates are homogeneous, rolling stops. The wet couscous agglomerates are then calibrated (sieve 1000 \(\upmu\)m) to obtain a homogeneous particle size. Residual non-agglomerated particles are isolated using a sieve (500 \(\upmu\)m), then reintroduced into the next rolling process. Finishing  
The finishing stage, which involves rolling the wet couscous grains and incorporating texturizing agents to even out their grain size and improve final texture, has been described in the work of [PERSON] et al. [2] in the context of durum wheat couscous and by [PERSON] et al. [3] for _Lenzeti_ couscous. However, the results of our study show that this practice is not widespread: a significant proportion of participants (58.52%) do not carry out this step. Among the 41.48% who do, the texturizing agents used vary considerably: soft wheat flour is preferred by 18.52% of respondents, followed by starch (16.30%) and durum wheat fine semolina (6.67%). Pre-Cooking Cousous  
When intended for storage, all respondents (100%) reported precooking couscous by steaming.