Isolation and Molecular Identification of Lactic Acid Bacteria from Some Fermented Foods

Abstract

Fermented foods serve as an important vehicle for microbial flora that form the human diet. Lactic acid bacteria are widely dispersed and implicated in almost every step of fermentation. The current study was done so as to isolate and identify lactic acid bacteria found in some locally fermented foods. Twenty (20) samples of fermented cassava and ogi were collected from different local food vendors. One gram (1g) each was dissolved in 9ml of distilled water, homogenized, plated out on MRS agar, and incubated at 37oC for 48 hrs. The isolates were identified and characterized by physiological and biochemical tests. Six (6) bacteria isolates were isolated and characterized. Species identification was based on the sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes. The lactic acid bacteria species were found to be the predominant group of microorganisms involved in food fermentations. This has provided a baseline knowledge of the potential sources of probiotics and their application in functional foods.