Microorganisms and Characterization of the Proteins in Traditional Fermented Meat (Sour Meat) of Southeast Asia

Abstract

The isolation is described of the microorganisms in the traditional fermented 'sour' meat of Southeast Asia, and an investigation is made of the changes in composition of the meat based on a model experiment using these isolated microorganisms. Microorganisms belonging to the Lactobacillus sp. (including Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus plantarum), Lactococcus sp., Bacillus sp. and Enterococcus sp. were isolated from the sour meat. An experiment was conducted in which meat (pork) was decomposed by the isolated microorganisms, i.e., Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The results show the marked formation of lactic acid and other organic acids. Free acids such as hydrophobic amino acids and branched-chain amino acids were also increased. The decomposition of meat proteins and the formation of proteins of low molecular weight were also observed.