| Main microorganisms involved in the fermentation of Ugandan ghee (2009) | |||||||||||||
Abstract | |||||||||||||
| Mashita, a traditional fermented butter-like product is widely produced in western Uganda. However, no detailed studies have been done to identify the microorganisms involved in mashita fermentation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the microorganisms involved in mashita fermentation using culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. The most commonly identified strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in mashita using culture-dependent techniques were Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus perolens constituting 37.3%, 10.1%, 8.1% and 7.7% of total bacterial colonies isolated respectively. L. paracasei was the only bacterial species identified in all mashita samples. PCR-DGGE results indicated that acetic acid bacteria (AAB) and LAB were the dominant bacterial groups in mashita. Acetobacter aceti, Acetobacter lovaniensis, Acetobacter orientalis and Acetobacter pasteurianus were the main species of AAB identified in the mashita whereas Bifidobacterium sp., Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus acetotolerans, Lactobacillus sp., Lactococcus raffinolactis, Lactococcus sp. and Streptococcus salivarius as the main strains of LAB in mashita. PCR-DGGE of the D1 region of yeasts showed that Brettanomyces custersianus, Candida silvae, Geotrichum candidum, Issatchenkia occidentalis, Issatchenkia orientalis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Trichosporon asahii were part of the mashita microbial community. These results indicate that AAB, LAB and yeasts are involved in mashita fermentation. | |||||||||||||
Publication details | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||