Bacillus spp. from fermented tef dough and kocho: identity and role in the two Ethiopian fermented foods
1997
Ayele Nigatu (Biodiversity Instituts, Addis Abeba (Ethiopia)) | Berhanu, A. Gashe | Tarekegn Ayele
A significant population of Gram-positive, endospore-forming rods were isolated from fermenting tef dough and kocho. A taxonomic study showed that Bacillus circulans, B. firmus and B. larvae were common to both foods. The other species were, however, limited to one food or the other. B. licheniformis (56 percent) was the dominant species amongst the tef isolates while B. larvae (39.3 percent) was dominant in kocho. Most of these strains exhibited a wide spectrum of enzymatic activities and some showed antimicrobial effects against certain food-associated bacterial pathogens. Biochemical features of these bacilli led to the suggestion that they may play active metabolic roles and enrich the substrates for the succession and dominance of the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) which are essential for the characteristic fermentation of the two foods. Further studies are recommended to establish the effect of this group of bacteria and their metabolic products on human health.
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