Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pathogens Isolated from Traditionally Fermented Foods, In Relation to Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tribal Hill Areas of Northeast India

Traditional fermented food products are often connected to various indigenous tribes and thus vary due to ethnicity, geography, and natural resource availability. The indigenous tribes from India greatly rely on fermentation processes for food preservation, flavor, and nutrition. Fermented foods can...

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Main Authors: Tushar Kumar Dey, Johanna F. Lindahl, Rajkumari Sanjukta, A. Arun Prince Milton, Samir Das, Porteen Kannan, Åke Lundkvist, Arnab Sen, Sandeep Ghatak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-01-01
Series:Journal of Food Quality
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6687015
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author Tushar Kumar Dey
Johanna F. Lindahl
Rajkumari Sanjukta
A. Arun Prince Milton
Samir Das
Porteen Kannan
Åke Lundkvist
Arnab Sen
Sandeep Ghatak
author_facet Tushar Kumar Dey
Johanna F. Lindahl
Rajkumari Sanjukta
A. Arun Prince Milton
Samir Das
Porteen Kannan
Åke Lundkvist
Arnab Sen
Sandeep Ghatak
author_sort Tushar Kumar Dey
collection DOAJ
description Traditional fermented food products are often connected to various indigenous tribes and thus vary due to ethnicity, geography, and natural resource availability. The indigenous tribes from India greatly rely on fermentation processes for food preservation, flavor, and nutrition. Fermented foods can provide health benefits but also pose risks from harmful microbes and contaminants that grow in the food due to poor hygiene. In this study, we identified lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in fermented food collected from Northeast India, assessed their beneficial properties, and highlighted the risk from food pathogens that have antimicrobial resistance traits. A total of 113 different samples of fermented food products were collected from the local markets of five Northeastern Indian states (Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim). Standard laboratory methods were used to isolate LAB and determine their probiotic properties, conduct coliform counts, and isolate presumptive staphylococci from the fermented food samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by using the BD-Phoenix 100 automated system. We isolated 30 LAB with probiotic potential. The average aerobic colony count in different fermented food was 4.4–7.7 log·cfu/g, while coliforms were present in 43% (49/113, 95% (CI 34–53)) of the food samples, indicating low-hygiene levels. Additionally, some food samples contained staphylococci with phenotypic antibiotic-resistance markers (MRS, HLMUP, BLACT, and STAMLS). This study indicates that probiotic bacteria could be present in traditional fermented food products of Northeast India, but contamination with staphylococci and other bacterial pathogens with antibiotic resistance traits could put the health of consumers at risk.
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spelling doaj-art-4b02ceb67c3d430eb736bb15c1fcbbcc2025-08-20T02:17:49ZengWileyJournal of Food Quality1745-45572023-01-01202310.1155/2023/6687015Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pathogens Isolated from Traditionally Fermented Foods, In Relation to Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tribal Hill Areas of Northeast IndiaTushar Kumar Dey0Johanna F. Lindahl1Rajkumari Sanjukta2A. Arun Prince Milton3Samir Das4Porteen Kannan5Åke Lundkvist6Arnab Sen7Sandeep Ghatak8Department of BiosciencesDepartment of BiosciencesDivision of Animal and Fisheries SciencesDivision of Animal and Fisheries SciencesDivision of Animal and Fisheries SciencesDepartment of Veterinary Public Health and EpidemiologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and MicrobiologyDivision of Animal and Fisheries SciencesDivision of Animal and Fisheries SciencesTraditional fermented food products are often connected to various indigenous tribes and thus vary due to ethnicity, geography, and natural resource availability. The indigenous tribes from India greatly rely on fermentation processes for food preservation, flavor, and nutrition. Fermented foods can provide health benefits but also pose risks from harmful microbes and contaminants that grow in the food due to poor hygiene. In this study, we identified lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in fermented food collected from Northeast India, assessed their beneficial properties, and highlighted the risk from food pathogens that have antimicrobial resistance traits. A total of 113 different samples of fermented food products were collected from the local markets of five Northeastern Indian states (Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim). Standard laboratory methods were used to isolate LAB and determine their probiotic properties, conduct coliform counts, and isolate presumptive staphylococci from the fermented food samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by using the BD-Phoenix 100 automated system. We isolated 30 LAB with probiotic potential. The average aerobic colony count in different fermented food was 4.4–7.7 log·cfu/g, while coliforms were present in 43% (49/113, 95% (CI 34–53)) of the food samples, indicating low-hygiene levels. Additionally, some food samples contained staphylococci with phenotypic antibiotic-resistance markers (MRS, HLMUP, BLACT, and STAMLS). This study indicates that probiotic bacteria could be present in traditional fermented food products of Northeast India, but contamination with staphylococci and other bacterial pathogens with antibiotic resistance traits could put the health of consumers at risk.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6687015
spellingShingle Tushar Kumar Dey
Johanna F. Lindahl
Rajkumari Sanjukta
A. Arun Prince Milton
Samir Das
Porteen Kannan
Åke Lundkvist
Arnab Sen
Sandeep Ghatak
Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pathogens Isolated from Traditionally Fermented Foods, In Relation to Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tribal Hill Areas of Northeast India
Journal of Food Quality
title Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pathogens Isolated from Traditionally Fermented Foods, In Relation to Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tribal Hill Areas of Northeast India
title_full Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pathogens Isolated from Traditionally Fermented Foods, In Relation to Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tribal Hill Areas of Northeast India
title_fullStr Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pathogens Isolated from Traditionally Fermented Foods, In Relation to Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tribal Hill Areas of Northeast India
title_full_unstemmed Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pathogens Isolated from Traditionally Fermented Foods, In Relation to Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tribal Hill Areas of Northeast India
title_short Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pathogens Isolated from Traditionally Fermented Foods, In Relation to Food Safety and Antimicrobial Resistance in Tribal Hill Areas of Northeast India
title_sort characterization of lactic acid bacteria and pathogens isolated from traditionally fermented foods in relation to food safety and antimicrobial resistance in tribal hill areas of northeast india
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/6687015
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