Professor Hitoshi Iwahashi of Gifu University's Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences and his colleagues succeeded in isolating bifidobacteria from Kishu Narezushi from Wakayama Prefecture, which is considered one of the three major types of Narezushi in Japan.This is the first time in the world that bifidobacteria have been isolated from traditional Japanese fermented foods, and there are high expectations for the development of fermented dairy products that utilize bifidobacteria derived from traditional foods.
According to Gifu University, Professor Iwahashi and his colleagues discovered that bifidobacteria are among the lactic acid bacteria that contribute to the fermentation of Kishu Narezushi in Wakayama Prefecture, but until then, bifidobacteria were found in traditional Japanese fermented foods. There were no reports of this or any cases of isolation of bifidobacteria.
Attempting to isolate Bifidobacterium was difficult as it was mixed with other lactic acid bacteria, so Professor Iwahashi and his team found through trial and error the growth conditions, such as temperature and air volume, and nutrients that would allow only Bifidobacteria to grow, and succeeded in isolating Bifidobacteria. did.The bifidobacterium they discovered is named Yasuke strain.
Professor Iwahashi and his colleagues believe that it will be possible to utilize bifidobacteria isolated from traditional Japanese fermented foods in fermented dairy products such as cheese and promote them as a Japan brand to the world.The laboratory has already successfully produced prototype yogurt and cheese using the Yasuke strain, and hopes to develop fermented foods from Japan on a commercial basis.
Bifidobacterium is a type of lactic acid bacteria that mainly exists in the intestines of humans and animals.It is thought to have the effect of not only regulating the intestines, but also suppressing infection by pathogenic bacteria and the growth of bacteria that produce putrefactive substances.
Paper information:【Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry】Variations in fungal and bacterial microbiome and chemical composition among fermenting Kishu-Narezushi batches
