Enumeration and Identification of Dominant Lactic Acid Bacteria in Indonesian "Tempoyak" During Low Temperature Fermentation

Tempoyak is an Indonesian indigenous fermented food made from durian (Durio zibethinus Murray) flesh and produced by traditional methods through spontaneous fermentation for 4 weeks. The spontaneous fermentation was controlled by adding salt. The aim of this research was to enumerate and to identify dominant lactic acid bacteria in tempoyak fermented at 20±2°C with salt addition of 2 and 4%. The population of lactic acid bacteria increased during the first week; however, bacterial count decreased after the first week untui the end of the fermentation process. A number of 141 isolates was obtained and consisted of 100 (71%) and 41 isolates (29%) belonging to homofermentative and heterofermentative groups of lactic acid bacteria, respectively. Furthermore, six genera were involved in tempoyak fermentation, including Oenococcus, Leuconostoc, Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Pediococcus and Lactobacillus. Leuconostoc sp. was observed at the beginning of fermentation, whereas Lactococcus sp, and Lactobacillus sp. dominated the population in the middle of the fermentation. At the end of the fermentation, Lactobacillus sp. and Pediococcus sp. played dominant roles.