Ketahanan Salmonella Typhimurium pada Fermentasi Sawi Asin dengan Penambahan Starter Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 4C261

Abstract

Sawi asin merupakan produk fermentasi sawi pahit yang umumnya difermentasi secara spontan tanpa penambahan starter. Fermentasi sawi asin melibatkan beberapa mikroba seperti bakteri asam laktat (BAL) yang memproduksi berbagai metabolit seperti asam organik dan bakteriosin, yang memiliki sifat antimikroba. Namun sawi pahit rentan terkontaminasi dengan mikroba pembusuk dan patogen selama budidaya dan penanganan pasca panen. Proses fermentasi sawi asin yang kurang optimal memungkinkan mikroba tersebut bertahan dan tumbuh, sehingga menyebabkan kerusakan dan/atau beresiko bagi kesehatan konsumen. Salah satu upaya untuk mengoptimalkan proses fermentasi adalah melalui penambahan kultur starter. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh penambahan starter bakteri asam laktat (BAL) Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 4C261 terhadap ketahanan bakteri Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028, konsentrasi kapang dan khamir, pH dan total BAL selama fermentasi sawi asin. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa penambahan Lpb. plantarum 4C261 mempercepat penurunan Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028, mempercepat penurunan kapang dan khamir, mempercepat penurunan pH dan mempercepat tercapainya fase stasioner pertumbuhan BAL selama fermentasi. Total BAL pada akhir masa inkubasi mencapai 8 log CFU/g pada semua perlakuan, baik dengan maupun tanpa penambahan starter. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 4C261 merupakan kandidat probiotik, sehingga penggunaannya sebagai kultur starter tidak hanya mengoptimalkan proses fermentasi tetapi juga meningkatkan potensi sawi asin sebagai produk pangan probiotik.

Sawi asin is a spontaneously fermented bitter green mustard product, traditionally prepared without the addition of starter culture. The fermentation is generally mediated by a consortium of microorganisms, primarily Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), which produce various metabolites like organic acids and bacteriocins with antimicrobial properties. However, bitter greens mustards are prone to contamination by spoilage and pathogenic microbes during cultivation and post-harvest handling. A sub-optimal fermentation process allows these microbes to survive and grow, leading to spoilage and/or health risks for consumers. One of the efforts to optimize the fermentation process is through the addition of starter culture during fermentation. This study aims to determine the effect of the addition of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 4C261 on the survival of Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028, level of mold and yeast, pH and total LAB during sawi asin fermentation process. The results indicated that the addition of L. plantarum 4C261 accelerated the decline of Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028, reduced mold and yeast populations, reduced pH more rapidly, and promoted the earlier entry of the LAB into the stationary phase during fermentation. The total LAB at the end of incubation reached 8 log CFU/g in all treatments, both in sawi asin with and without starter addition. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 4C261 also identified earlier as a probiotic candidate, serves not only to optimize the fermentation process but also enhances their potential as a functional probiotic product.