Abstract

Due to the nutritional value of rice cakes, there is renewed interest in this traditional Korean food, and thus various efforts have been made to improve its storage stability. In this study, lactic acid bacteria that produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) were isolated and their physiochemical properties were analyzed. The bacteria were used to produce ‘Sulgidduk’ (a Korean rice cake) with improved storage stability. Among the 107 strains isolated from traditional fermented foods, only five strains were confirmed to produce EPS in MRS media with 10% sucrose. Two of these strains were identified as members of the genus Weissella and three were identified as the Bacillus genus via sequence analysis of 16S rDNA. Among the five strains, the strain Weissella cibaria JNU29 was selected for application to ‘Sulgidduk’, since it is food applicable, viable in artificial gastric and bile juices, and produces the highest content of EPS (16.72 g/L). TLC and HPLC analysis showed that the EPS produced by W. cibaria JNU29 strain was a homopolysaccharide composed of only glucose. A culture solution of the W. cibaria JNU29 strain was mixed with milled rice flour to prepare ‘Sulgidduk’. After incubation for 48 h, the ‘Sulgidduk’ showed lower hardness values than that of the control without the culture solution, and the lactic acid bacteria survived to a level of 7 log CFU/g. Thus, the W. cibaria JNU29 strain, which produces EPS, can be applied for the production of ‘Sulgidduk’, as it delays retrogradation and prevents mold-induced decay to improve shelf life.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call