PHENOTYPICALLY BASED TAXONOMY USING API 50CH OF LACTOBACILLI FROM NIGERIAN OGI, AND THE OCCURRENCE OF STARCH FERMENTING STRAINS

One-hundred and twenty isolates of lactic acid bacteria isolated from ogi and three traditional cereal-based alcoholic beverages from Nigeri a, together with 18 reference strains from Swedish sour doughs, and 50 type-and reference strains of mainly Lactobacillus, were phenotypical ly classified on their fermentation ability of 49 carbohydrates, inclu ding soluble starch. Data were examined by Jaccard Coefficient (S-J), Simple Matching Coefficient (S-SM), and unweighted pair group algorith m with arithmetic averages (UPGMA). Seven major clusters were defined at the 82% S-J-similarity level (corresponds to the S-SM-level of 91%) . Three were identified as Lactobacillus plantarum or L. plantarum-lik e (together 41% of the ogi isolates). The others were obligately heter ofermentative; Cluster 7 was identified as L. confusus (11% of the ogi isolates). Three minor clusters were identified as L. murinus, L. agi lis or L. gallinarium, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroi des, respectively. The phenotype of the L. plantarum isolates varied w ithin wide limits. Seventeen isolates possessed starch fermenting capa city. Nine of these were identified as L. plantarum or L. plantarum-li ke (isolated from ogi); one was identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroide s subsp. mesenteroides, and the rest were unidentified non-clustering strains.