Inhibition Potency of Lactic Acid Bacteria against Fungi in Dangke During Storage

Abstract

Dangke is a traditional dairy product in Enrengkang District, South Sulawesi. Since dangke is produced traditionally in small scale unit (home industry) the microbial contamination of dangke is critical point in food quality and safety, specifically the fungal contamination of fungi. It is necessary to develop a method to inhibit growth of fungi in dangke. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could be a potential biopreservative of dangke regarding to inhibition of fungal contamination. The aim of this research was to review the effectiveness of inhibition of LAB against fungi in dangke during storage. The study was devided into three steps, i.e., observation of fungal number in dangke (n=20), isolation and identification of fungi in dangke, and observation of Lactobacillus plantarum DU15 (LAB) application in dangke which was contaminated with Candida sp. The study was designed using randomized completely design with factorial pattern of 4 x 2 x 4 with 5 replications. The result showed that the average number of fungi in 20 samples of dangke from Enrekang District were 5.2 x 106 cfu/g. The main isolated fungi strains were belonged to Candida sp. (95%), Saccharomyces sp. (50%), Geotrichum sp. (35%), Rodotorula sp. (10%), Microsporum sp. (40%), Cladosporium sp. (30%), Penicillium sp. (30%), Aspergillus sp. (20%), Fusarium sp. (5%). During the storage, pH, total lactic acid, and viable count of LAB increased significantly (p<0.05). LAB could reduce fungal growth significantly (p<0.05). The number of fungi decreased from 6.72 log cfu/g to 3.99 log cfu/g after 6 days of storage