Tetragenococcus Halophilus in Soy Sauce Fermentation
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Japanese Journal of Lactic Acid Bacteria Copyright (C) 2000, Japan Society for Lactic Acid Bacteria Review Diversity and Ecology of Salt Tolerant Lactic Acid Bacteria: Tetragenococcus halophilus in Soy Sauce Fermentation Kinji UCHIDA Culture Collection Center, Tokyo University of Agriculture 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan Soy Sauce (Shoyu) is one of the most representative Japanese traditional fermented foods and has recently become increasingly popular throughout the world. During the moromi-fermentation of soy sauce making processes, a group of lactic acid cocci known as Tetragenococcus halophilus proliferate in moromi-mash which contains a high concen- tration of sodium chloride, around 18% (w/v) , and produce nearly 1% (w/v) of L-lactic acid. In the early 1980's, a technique for discriminating individual strains was developed, and as a re- sult the diversity in physiological properties among the natural flora of soy lactic acid bacteria has become well known. A wide variety of strains have been found based on physiological proper- ties such as arginine degradation, aspartate decarboxylation, amine-formation from histidine, phenylalanine or tyrosine, consumption of citric or malic acids, and reduction of environmental red-ox potentials, besides in utilization of carbohydrates. Diversity among strains was also ob- served in their phage-susceptibility and plasmid-profiles. Many of these activities substantially affect the quality of the end products. Accordingly, strain-level control of the fermenting mi- crobes is needed for preparation of high quality soy sauce. Significance of this diversity and possible mechanisms which might have produced it were also discussed from a microbial ecology perspective. INTRODUCTION salt, through the following five main processes, the Soy Sauce (Shoyu) is one of the most representa- treatment of raw materials, koji production, moro- tive Japanese traditional fermented foods. Recently, mi fermentation, pressing and refining. The moromi it has become increasingly popular throughout the fermentation proceeds under the presence of a high world. Over one million kilo-liters of soy sauce is concentration of salt and takes for more than half produced annually in Japan, and up to one hundred a year. During the moromi period, high molecular thousand kilo-liters of Japanese-type soy sauce is weight substrates in the raw materials are digested produced a year outside Japan, i.e., U.S.A. , the by the enzymes produced by the koji mold. Protein Netherlands, and some other Asian countries. is hydrolyzed into amino-acids or small peptides, Soy sauce is made from soybeans, wheat and and starch is decomposed to glucose which is subse- quently converted into alcohol, lactic acid and other Paper presented in the symposium on "Traditional various flavor substances by the action of Fermented Foods: Microbial Ecology and Technol- fermenting-microorganisms. The concentration of ogy" held on August Pt, 1998, at Hokkaido Univer- sodium chloride in the moromi is usually around sity, Sapporo, Japan. 18% (w/v) , and the microbes involved must be To whom correspondence should be addressed Phone : +81-3-5477-2549 salt-tolerant i.e. a group of lactic acid bacteria Fax : +81-3-5477-2549 known as Tetragenococcus halophilus and some E-mail : [email protected] halophilic or halo-tolerant yeasts. These fermenting 60 Vol.11, No. 2 Japanese Journal of Lactic Acid Bacteria microbes are often added artificially as starters, Table 1 Diversity in sugar fermentation patterns but remain a part of the natural flora in many tra- of soy lactic acid bacteria ditional fermentation facilities. The role of lactic acid bacteria (soy LAB) in low- ering the pH of moromi has long been thought to be necessary prior to alcoholic fermentation by yeasts, but the physiological properties other than lactic acid fermentation were not known. In the early 1980's, a technique to discriminate individual strains of soy LAB was developee, and the result- ing diversity of physiological properties, which in- fluence the quality of the final product, have become known4.5. Here, the diversity in physiological or biochemical properties among natural flora of soy LAB will be discussed. The significance of the diversity and pos- *A : Arabinose sible mechanisms causing it will also be discussed , L : Lactose, B : Melibiose, from a microbial ecology perspective. S : Sorbitol, M : Mannitol I. Taxonomy of the soy LAB fermenting ability from the description of this spe- The presence of some tetrad-forming cocci in fer- cies (Pediococcus halophilus) in Bergey's Manual menting soy-moromi was first reported in 1907,' (1986) were observed. but due to the limited technology available 90 years The sugar fermenting property of each strain ago, details of this report cannot be confirmed. could be assayed with good experimental reproduci- After a series of studies on tetrad-forming cocci, a bility, and each strain was thought to be geneti- group of halophilic lactic acid coccus was described cally stable. Therefore, this trait was used as a as a new species, Pediococcus soyae, in 19587.8'. It strain-discriminating property for flora analysis, was soon reclassified as Pediococcus halophilus" and when no sophisticated genetic method was yet cited under this name in Bergey's Manual. In 1990, available. For practical purposes, a soy LAB flora- based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis, this species analyzing scheme was developed, in which 50-100 was transferred to a new genus and named random isolates from a moromi specimen were ex- Tetragenococcus halophilusi°'"). amined based on the fermentation of five sugars, and isolates sharing the same fermentation patterns II. Diversity in Physiological Activities of Soy LAB were tentatively treated as an identical strain. By 1. Sugar fermentation patterns and their applica- the use of this scheme, it was first demonstrated tion to flora analysis') that traditionally processed soy moromi usually Physiological heterogeneity of soy LAB was first harbored at least 10, presumably many more differ- demonstrated in sugar-fermentation studies. Over ent strains of soy LAB. 1500 isolates of soy LAB from various soy moromi Extensive studies on numerous soy LAB isolates samples were tested for their fermention ability on from a variety of naturally brewed soy moromi re- five selected sugars: arabinose, lactose, melibiose, vealed that they were very heterogeneous not only sorbitol and mannitol. According to the fermenta- in their sugar-fermenting abilities but also in other tion patterns, the isolates were separated into 28 physiological properties such as arginine-degra- types (Table 1). The use of 10 kinds of sugar in the dation, amino-acids decarboxylation, organic acids fermentation tests, enabling them to be separated metabolism and environment-reducing activity'''). into at least 67 types having distinct sugar- 2. Amino acid decomposition fermentation patterns. Some discrepancies in sugar The major flavoring ingredients of soy sauce are 6l — Japanese Journal of Lactic Acid Bacteria Vol.11, No. 2 amino acids. In small scale brewing trials, 100 rep- of soy moromi as well as the final products. resentative isolates of soy LAB were tested for Decarboxylation of aspartic acid should be com- their reactions on amino acids. Some strains split parable to that of malic acid in wine making, arginine into ornithine and ammonia (the Arginine known as malo-lactic fermentation (MLF)12. (Fig. deiminase pathway) as known before but the other 1 ) The conversion of a sour amino acid (Asp) to strains did not. The other strains were found to a sweet amino acid (Ala) would make the taste of decarboxylate amino-acids, such as aspartic acid, the products milder as observed in MLF. Recently, histidine, phenylalanine or tyrosine, respectively. a 22kb plasmid encoding aspartate-decarboxylating The generation of two moles of ammonia from a trait was obtained from a Asp-decarboxylating mole of arginine, or the disappearance of a carbox- strain"). This plasmid was determined to contain ylic moiety from one mole of acidic or neutral both genes for an Asp-decarboxylase and an Asp- amino acid results either in an increase in environ- transfering protein according to sequence analysis mental pH or in the neutralization of the lactic of its 10 kb Sall fragment. acid formed. Because of the high concentration of Decarboxylations of His, Phe, and Tyr result in amino acids in moromi, compared with the lactic formation of their amines : histamine, 2-phenethy- acid produced, such reactions on amino acids by lamine and tyramine, respectively. such active strains will significantly affect the pH Decarboxylation of L-Aspartate in Soy Moromi Fermentation Malo-Lactic Fermentation(MLF) in Wine Making Fig.1 L-Aspartate decarboxylation by soy lactic acid bacteria and malo-lactic fermentation in wine. 3. Organic acid metabolism as in MLF, whereas the amount of malic acid in Tetragenococcus halophilus is a homo-fermenter, soy moromi is not great enough to have a signifi- and usually forms nearly 2 moles of L-lactic acid cant effect. from 1 mole of glucose consumed. A few strains 4. Reducing activity form n-lactic acid. In soy moromi fermentation, a This species is known to be facultatively anaero- smaller amount of acetic acid is produced and the bic. Generally microbes have the ability to control ratio of acetic to lactic varies largely strain by the environmental red-ox potential to levels com- strain'''. Most strains can use or decompose citric patible with their survival. Among soy LAB, some acid which is derived from soybeans or formed by strains were found to substantially reduce the red- koji mold, into lactic and acetic acids, but some ox potential of their growing environment"). Other strains can not"). strains reduced the red-ox potential only weakly or Malic acid is decomposed by most parts strains not at all. When the reducing strain grew in soy 62 Vol.11, No. 2 Japanese Journal of Lactic Acid Bacteria moromi, partial suppression of the browning reac- notable that the frequencies of each fermentation tions was observed.