LACTIC-ACID BACTERIA FOUND IN FERMENTED FISH IN THAILAND

Forty-seven strains of homofermentative rod-shaped and 5 heteroferment ative sphere-shaped lactic acid bacteria were isolated from 4 kinds of fermented fish (pla-ra, pla-chom, kung-chom, and hoi-dong) in Thailan d. These bacteria were separated into four groups by phenotypic and ch emotaxonomic characteristics, including fluorometric DNA-DNA hybridiza tion. Five strains (Group I) contained meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall. Four strains were identified as Lactobacillus pentosus, an d one strain was L. plantarum, Tested strains of this group produced D L-lactic acid. The rest of the rod-shaped bacteria, 23 strains (Group II) and 19 strains (Group III), lacked meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall and were identified as L. farciminis and Lactobacillus spec ies, respectively. The tested strains of these groups produced L-lacti c acid. The amount of cellular fatty acids of C16:0 and C18:1, and the DNA base compositions were significant for differentiating the strain s in Groups II and III. Five strains of cocci in chains (Group IV) pro duced gas from glucose. The tested strains of this group produced D-la ctic acid. They were identified as a Leuconostoc species. The distribu tion of these bacteria in fermented fish in Thailand is discussed.