Dynamics and Biodiversity of Populations of Lactic Acid Bacteria andAcetic Acid Bacteria Involved in Spontaneous Heap Fermentation of Cocoa Beans inGhana
- 15 March 2007
- journal article
- Published by American Society for Microbiology in Applied and Environmental Microbiology
- Vol. 73 (6), 1809-1824
- https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02189-06
Abstract
The Ghanaian cocoa bean heap fermentation process was studied through a multiphasic approach, encompassing both microbiological and metabolite target analyses. A culture-dependent (plating and incubation, followed by repetitive-sequence-based PCR analyses of picked-up colonies) and culture-independent (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis [DGGE] of 16S rRNA gene amplicons, PCR-DGGE) approach revealed a limited biodiversity and targeted population dynamics of both lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and acetic acid bacteria (AAB) during fermentation. Four main clusters were identified among the LAB isolated: Lactobacillus plantarum , Lactobacillus fermentum , Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides , and Enterococcus casseliflavus . Other taxa encompassed, for instance, Weissella . Only four clusters were found among the AAB identified: Acetobacter pasteurianus , Acetobacter syzygii -like bacteria, and two small clusters of Acetobacter tropicalis -like bacteria. Particular strains of L. plantarum , L. fermentum , and A. pasteurianus , originating from the environment, were well adapted to the environmental conditions prevailing during Ghanaian cocoa bean heap fermentation and apparently played a significant role in the cocoa bean fermentation process. Yeasts produced ethanol from sugars, and LAB produced lactic acid, acetic acid, ethanol, and mannitol from sugars and/or citrate. Whereas L. plantarum strains were abundant in the beginning of the fermentation, L. fermentum strains converted fructose into mannitol upon prolonged fermentation. A. pasteurianus grew on ethanol, mannitol, and lactate and converted ethanol into acetic acid. A newly proposed Weissella sp., referred to as “ Weissella ghanaensis ,” was detected through PCR-DGGE analysis in some of the fermentations and was only occasionally picked up through culture-based isolation. Two new species of Acetobacter were found as well, namely, the species tentatively named“ Acetobacter senegalensis ” ( A. tropicalis -like) and “ Acetobacter ghanaensis ” ( A. syzygii -like).Keywords
This publication has 60 references indexed in Scilit:
- Kinetic Analysis of Bifidobacterial Metabolism Reveals a Minor Role for Succinic Acid in the Regeneration of NAD + through Its Growth-Associated ProductionApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2006
- Lactic acid bacteria evolution during winemaking: Use of rpoB gene as a target for PCR-DGGE analysisFood Microbiology, 2006
- PCR-DGGE fingerprinting: novel strategies for detection of microbes in foodJournal of Microbiological Methods, 2004
- Design and Evaluation of PCR Primers for Analysis of Bacterial Populations in Wine by Denaturing Gradient Gel ElectrophoresisApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2003
- Effects of incubation and polyphenol oxidase enrichment on colour, fermentation index, procyanidins and astringency of unfermented and partly fermented cocoa beansInternational Journal of Food Science & Technology, 2003
- Effect of mass and turning time on free amino acid, peptide-N, sugar and pyrazine concentration during cocoa fermentationJournal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 1998
- Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programsNucleic Acids Research, 1997
- Flavour evaluation of chocolate formulated from cocoa beans from different countriesFood Control, 1995
- Identification and quantification of the free sugars in cocoa beansJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 1972
- A MEDIUM FOR THE CULTIVATION OF LACTOBACILLIJournal of Applied Bacteriology, 1960