Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Indian Journal of Microbiology logoLink to Indian Journal of Microbiology
. 2007 Jul 8;47(2):119–125. doi: 10.1007/s12088-007-0024-8

Lactic acid bacteria in Hamei and Marcha of North East India

J P Tamang 1,✉, S Dewan 1, B Tamang 1, A Rai 1, U Schillinger 2, W H Holzapfel 2
PMCID: PMC3450109  PMID: 23100653

Abstract

Hamei and Marcha are mixed dough inocula used as starters for preparation of various indigenous alcoholic beverages in Manipur and Sikkim in India, respectively. These starters are traditionally prepared from rice with wild herbs and spices. Samples of Hamei and Marcha, collected from Manipur and Sikkim, respectively, were analysed for lactic acid bacterial composition. The population of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was 6.9 and 7.1 Log cfu/g in Hamei and Marcha, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic characters, LAB strains isolated from Hamei and Marcha were identified as Pediococcus pentosaceus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus brevis. Technological properties of LAB such as antimicrobial properties, effect on acidification, ability to produce biogenic amines and ethanol, degree of hydrophobicity and enzymatic activities were also performed. Pediococcus pentosaceus HS: B1, isolated from Hamei, was found to produce bacteriocin. None of the strains produced biogenic amines. LAB strains showed a strong acidifying ability and they also produced a wide spectrum of enzymes.

Keywords: LAB, Hamei, Marcha

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (216.1 KB).

References

  • 1.Dung N.T.P., Rombouts F.M., Nout M.J.R. Functionality of selected strains of moulds and yeasts from Vietnamese rice wine starters. Food Microbiol. 2006;23:331–340. doi: 10.1016/j.fm.2005.05.002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Tamang J.P., Thapa S., Tamang N., Rai B. Indigenous fermented food beverages of the Darjeeling hills and Sikkim: process and product characterisation. J Hill Res. 1996;9(2):401–411. [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Tamang J.P. Food Culture of Sikkim. Sikkim Study Series Vol. 4. Gangtok: Information and Public Relations Department, Government of Sikkim; 2005. [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Hesseltine C.W., Ray M. Lactic acid bacteria in murcha and ragi. J Appl Bacteriol. 1988;64:395–401. [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Shrestha H., Nand K., Rai E.R. Microbiological profile of murcha starters and physico-chemical characteristics of poko, a rice based traditional food products of Nepal. Food Biotechnol. 2002;16:1–15. doi: 10.1081/FBT-120004198. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Tamang J.P., Sarkar P.K. Microflora of murcha: an amylolytic fermentation starter. Microbios. 1995;81:115–122. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Schillinger U., Lücke F.K. Identification of lactobacilli from meat and meat products. Food Microbiol. 1987;4:199–208. doi: 10.1016/0740-0020(87)90002-5. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Tamang J.P., Dewan S., Thapa S., Olasupo N.A., Schillinger U., Holzapfel W.H. Identification and enzymatic profiles of predominant lactic acid bacteria isolated from softvariety chhurpi, a traditional cheese typical of the Sikkim Himalayas. Food Biotechnol. 2000;14(1&2):99–112. doi: 10.1080/08905430009549982. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Pitcher D.G., Saunders N.A., Owen R.J. Rapid extraction of bacterial genomic DNA with guanidium thiocyanate. Letters Appl Microbiol. 1989;8:151–156. [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Huey B., Hall J. Hypervariable DNA fingerprinting in Escherichia coli. minisatellite probe from bacteriophage M13. J Bacteriol. 1989;171:2528–2532. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.5.2528-2532.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Schillinger U., Yousif N.M.K., Sesar L., Franz C.M.A.P. Use of group-specific and RAPD-PCR analyses for rapid differentiation of Lactobacillus strains from probiotic yogurts. Current Microbiol. 2003;47:453–456. doi: 10.1007/s00284-003-4067-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Guarneri T., Rossetti L., Giraffa G. Rapid identification of Lactobacillus brevis using the polymerase chain reaction. Letters in Appl Microbiol. 2001;33:377–381. doi: 10.1046/j.1472-765X.2001.01014.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Gevers D., Huys G., Swings J. Applicability of rep-PCR fingerprinting for identification of Lactobacillus species. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2001;205:31–36. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2001.tb10921.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Tamang J.P., Tamang B., Schillinger U., Franz C.M.A.P., Gores M., Holzapfel W.H. Identification of predominant lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional fermented vegetable products of the Eastern Himalayas. Int J Food Microbiol. 2005;105:347–356. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2005.04.024. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Schillinger U., Lücke F.K. Antibacterial activity of Lactobacillus sake isolated from meat. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989;55(8):1901–1906. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.8.1901-1906.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Uhlman L., Schillinger U., Rupnow J.R., Holzapfel W.H. Identification and characterization of two bacteriocin-producing strains of Lactococcus lactis isolated from vegetables. Int J Food Microbiol. 1992;16:141–151. doi: 10.1016/0168-1605(92)90007-P. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Cabo M.L., Murado M.A., González M.P., Pastoriza L. A method for bacteriocin quantification. J Appl Microbiol. 1999;87:907–914. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2672.1999.00942.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Olasupo N.A., Schillinger U., Holzapfel W.H. Studies on some technological properties of predominant lactic acid bacteria isolated from Nigerian fermented foods. Food Biotechnol. 2001;15(3):157–167. doi: 10.1081/FBT-100107627. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Bover-Cid S., Holzapfel W.H. Improved screening procedure for biogenic amine production by lactic acid bacteria. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 1999;53:33–41. doi: 10.1016/S0168-1605(99)00152-X. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Ding H., Lämmler C. Cell surface hydrophobicity of Actinomyces pyogenes determined by hexadecane adherence-and salt aggregation studies. Zen für Veterinär (B) 1992;39:132–138. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0450.1992.tb01148.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Nostro A., Cannatelli M.A., Crisafi G., Musolino A.D., Procopio F., Alonzon V. Modifications of hydrophobicity, in vitro adherence and cellular aggregation of Streptococcus mutans by Helichrysum italicum extract. Letters Appl Microbiol. 2004;38:423–427. doi: 10.1111/j.1472-765X.2004.01509.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Tsuyoshi N., Fudou R., Yamanaka S., Kozaki M., Tamang N., Thapa S., Tamang J.P. Identification of yeast strains isolated from marcha in Sikkim, a microbial starter for amylolytic fermentation. Int. J Food Microbiol. 2005;99(2):135–146. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.08.011. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Wood B.J.B., Holzapfel W.H. The Lactic Acid Bacteria: The Genera of Lactic Acid Bacteria Vol. 2. London: Chapman and Hall; 1995. [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Buchenhüskes H.J. Selection criteria for lactic acid bacteria to be used as starter cultures in various food commodities. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 1993;12:253–272. [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Thapa S., Tamang J.P. Microbiological and physicocehmical changes during fermentation of kodo ko jaanr, a traditional alcoholic beverage of the Darjeeling hills and Sikkim. Indian J Microbiol. 2006;46:333–341. [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Tamang J.P., Thapa S. Fermentation dynamics during production of bhaati jaanr, a traditional fermented rice beverage of the Eastern Himalayas. Food Biotechnol. 2006;20:251–261. doi: 10.1080/08905430600904476. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Uchimura T., Kojima Y., Kozaki M. Studies on the main saccharifying microorganism in the Chinese starter of Bhutan “Chang poo”. J. Brewing Soc Japan. 1990;85(12):881–887. [Google Scholar]

Articles from Indian Journal of Microbiology are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES