Identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from ethnic fermented bamboo shoot "Lemea" in Bengkulu, Indonesia

Abstract

Ethnic food is inherited from ancestors who utilizes local food and that have distinctive tastes. The Rejang tribe is a native Bengkulu community who processes bamboo shoots into a fermented product known as Lemea, which is only found in Bengkulu province. Lemea is a source of indigenous lactic acid bacteria (LAB). This study aimed to isolate and identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains in Lemea. The bamboo shoots with betok fish (Anabas testudineus) were fermented for 48 hrs. Different types of bamboo shoots were expected to contain different types of LAB. Betung shoots (Dendrocalamus asper Schult) and yellow bamboo shoots (Bambusa vulgaris Schrad) have been used. Isolation of the LAB was performed through serial dilution of 10 g homogenized Lemea sample and spread on MRSA plates for each dilution series. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 48 hrs to obtain isolates. The isolates were identified molecularly using the 16S rRNA method. The results of the study found four isolates from two types of Lemea. After identification, it was known that the four isolates were bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus. Lactobacillus fermentum was only found in the fermentation process of yellow bamboo shoots (Bambusa vulgaris Schrad), while Lactobacillus plantarum was found in yellow bamboo shoots (Bambusa vulgaris Schrad) and betung (Dendrocalamus asper Schult).