2016 Volume 32 Issue 2 Pages 147-161
To determine the usefulness of the lactic acid bacteria and staphylococci isolated from Thai fermented foods, we investigated their sugar fermentation ability and functional properties. Lactic acid bacteria fermented a much greater variety of sugars than did Staphylococcus strains. Cluster analysis based on the sugar fermentation patterns of strains isolated from Thai fermented foods showed that most isolates followed the species characteristics, but some lactic acid bacteria showed within-species diversity of sugar fermentation ability. Cluster analysis based on the sugar fermentation patterns of both the Thai food strains and those isolated from Japanese fermented foods showed that most of the species with diverse sugar fermentation patterns were isolated from multiple locations. These results suggest that the fermentation abilities of these strains have diversified easily and that the strains are highly adaptable. Among those species with diverse sugar fermentation patterns, those of the Japanese isolates were found in more than one location, whereas some of those of the Thai isolates were found only in Thailand. Most of the isolates clustered together with the type strain belonged to species found in a single location, and the number of such species was largest in the Thai isolates. Thus the fermentation abilities of the strains isolated from Thai fermented foods differed from those of the Japanese isolates. Some of the lactic acid bacteria isolated produced GABA, and some of the Staphylococcus strains produced protease. The strains isolated from Thai fermented foods are thus unique bioresources.
