Abstract
The traditional fermented food ika-kurozukuri, salted squid with ink and liver, is a noted product of Toyama prefecture. Compared with traditional ika-kurozukuri, the salt content of the modern type of product is considerably lower. The microflora of three commercial ika-kurozukuri was investigated using the 16S rDNA clone library method. Staphylococcus saprophyticus was dominant in one product, while Weissella paramesenteroides dominated in the other two products. During ripening at 10°C, the microflora of the modern ika-kurozukuri (6% NaCl content) was analyzed periodically. At the beginning of ripening, Sphingomonas sp. was in the majority. After 10 days of ripening, S. saprophyticus was dominant, and the microflora was stable up to 35 days. The S. saprophyticus strain isolated from ika-kurozukuri could grow at 10°C. These results suggested that the dominant bacterial species of modern ika-kurozukuri products are S. saprophyticus and W. paramesenteroides.
