Isolation and identification of lactic acid bacteria from boza produced traditionally in the thrace region of Turkey

Abstract

Boza, a traditional beverage, has a microflora rich in lactic acid bacteria and yeast. In this study, 112 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates from five different boza brands (samples A-E) produced in the Trakya region of Turkey were identified by a Polimerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based method. In addition, the samples were examined for microbiological properties. The most common bacterial species and their distribution in the five boza samples were as follows: Lactobacillus fermentum (25%), Lactobacillus plantarum (25%) in sample A, L. plantarum (100%) in sample B, L. plantarum (16.67%), in sample C, Lactobacillus pentosus (15%), Lactobacillus brevis (25%), Leuconostoc lactis (25%), Leuconostoc citreum (25%), Lactobacillus paracasei (10%) in sample D and L. brevis (9.09%), Ln. citreum (27.27%), L. plantarum (9.09%), Lactococcus lactis (47.22%), Micrococcus yunnanensis (9.09%) in sample E. Especially, Boza samples from the Velimese district (samples D and E) showed higher number of varieties of LAB compared to the other boza samples. However, determination of the technological properties of the identified microorganisms and production with a standard starter culture may be needed for standardization of boza production.