Isolation, Identification, and Evaluation of Antimicrobial of the LAB from Bekasam: The Traditional Fermented Fish in Indonesia

Nur Rohman, Muhammad Bachrun Alim

Abstract


Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are frequently utilized in fermented foods and can incresed shelf life for the products through their secondary metabolites includes carbon dioxide, hydrogen peroxide, lactic acid and bacteriocins. Beside increasing the shelf life, LAB also affect taste, smelt, and texture. Thus, this study aimed to isolate, identify and evaluate antibacterial LAB strains from Indonesian traditional fermented fish (Bekasam). Gram staining, the catalase assay, and motility assays were used to initially characterize the presumed isolates phenotypically following primary isolation on De Man, Rogosa, and Sharper (MRS) agar. 14 isloates were determined to be presumed LAB by preliminary phenotypic testing. One species that has the highest antibacterial activity is confirmed by a 16S rRNA sequencing study. Lactobacillus plantarum CP-134 was identified from the bekasam. In the biochemical characterization all isolates were catalase-negative and non-motile. According to our research, these LAB strains may have applications in fermented foods due to their probiotic properties, which include antibacterial activity. They might be used as natural substitutes for additives and antibiotics, but more in vivo or in silico research is required to verify their potential and effectiveness. A typical traditional food preservation technique for enhancing shelf life, food safety and nutrition and sensory qualities is fermentation. Bekasam is a traditional fermented food from Indonesia.

Keywords


Bekasam; fermentation; lactic acid bacteria; 16S rRNA

Full Text:

PDF

References


Alharbi, N. K., & Alsaloom, A. N. (2021). Characterization of Lactic Bacteria Isolated from Raw Milk and Their Antibacterial Activity against Bacteria as the Cause of Clinical Bovine Mastitis. Journal of Food Quality, 2021, 12–16. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6466645

Apenteng-takyiako, S., Afua, C., Takyi, A., Chama, M. A., Osei, M., Donkor, E. S., & Futagbi, G. (2025). In vitro antibacterial activity of Moringa oleifera leaf and seed extracts against antibiotic-resistant bacteria and clinical isolates. 6.

Bhattacharjya, S., Zhang, Z., & Ramamoorthy, A. (2024). LL-37: Structures, Antimicrobial Activity, and Influence on Amyloid-Related Diseases. Biomolecules, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/biom14030320

Desniar, Rusmana, I., Suwanto, A., & Mubarik, D. N. R. (2013). Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from an Indonesian fermented fish (bekasam) and their antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria. Emirates Journal of Food and Agriculture, 25(6), 489–494. https://doi.org/10.9755/ejfa.v25i6.12478

El Ahmadi, K., Haboubi, K., El Allaoui, H., El Hammoudani, Y., Bouhrim, M., Eto, B., Shahat, A. A., & Herqash, R. N. (2025). Isolation and preliminary screening of lactic acid bacteria for antimicrobial potential from raw milk. Frontiers in Microbiology, 16(March), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1565016

Greulich, O., Duedahl-Olesen, L., Mikkelsen, M. S., Smedsgaard, J., & Bang-Berthelsen, C. H. (2024). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Tracking of Fermentation of Oat and Pea Bases for Yoghurt-Type Products. Fermentation, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10040189

Halder, D., Mandal, M., Chatterjee, S. S., Pal, N. K., & Mandal, S. (2017). Indigenous probiotic Lactobacillus isolates presenting antibiotic like activity against human pathogenic bacteria. Biomedicines, 5(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines5020031

Joos, M., Van Ginneken, S., Villanueva, X., Dijkmans, M., Coppola, G. A., Pérez-Romero, C. A., Vackier, T., Van der Eycken, E., Marchal, K., Lories, B., & Steenackers, H. P. (2025). EPS inhibitor treatment of Salmonella impacts evolution without selecting for resistance to biofilm inhibition. Npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 11(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00693-y

Khushboo, Karnwal, A., & Malik, T. (2023). Characterization and selection of probiotic lactic acid bacteria from different dietary sources for development of functional foods. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1170725

Li, S., Tang, S., Mo, R., Li, J., & Chen, L. (2023). Effects of NaCl curing and subsequent fermentation with Lactobacillus sakei or Lactobacillus plantarum on protein hydrolysis and oxidation in yak jerky. Lwt, 173(August 2022), 114298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2022.114298

Madushanka, D., Vidanarachchi, J. K., Kodithuwakku, S., Nayanajith, G. R. A., Jayatilake, S., & Priyashantha, H. (2025). Isolation and characterization of probiotic lactic acid bacteria from fermented traditional rice for potential applications in food and livestock production. Applied Food Research, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2025.100865

Melia, S., Purwati, E., Kurnia, Y. F., & Pratama, D. R. (2019). Antimicrobial potential of pediococcus acidilactici from Bekasam, fermentation of sepat rawa fish (Tricopodus trichopterus) from Banyuasin, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas, 20(12), 3532–3538. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d201210

Miyashita, M., Malimas, T., Sugimoto, M., & Yoshino, M. (2012). 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis of lactic acid bacteria isolated from fermented foods in Thailand. Microbial Culture Collection, 28, 1–9.

Mudoor Sooresh, M., Willing, B. P., & Bourrie, B. C. T. (2023). Opportunities and Challenges of Understanding Community Assembly in Spontaneous Food Fermentation. Foods, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12030673

Najeeb, M., Cameron, G., Grimard-conea, M., Matthews, S., Brodeur, J., Cadieux, G., & Pierre, A. (2025). Comparative genome analysis investigation of nosocomial and. 13(7).

Park, J. M., Moon, J. W., Zhang, B. Z., & An, B. K. (2024). Antioxidant Activity and Other Characteristics of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Korean Traditional Sweet Potato Stalk Kimchi. Foods, 13(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13203261

Rizwan, D., & Masoodi, F. A. (2025). Isolation and characterization of Lactic acid Bacteria from spontaneously fermented kohlrabi pickle of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Applied Food Research, 5(2), 100973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.afres.2025.100973

Santos, C., Raymundo, A., Moreira, J. B., & Prista, C. (2025). Exploring the Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation as a Clean Label Alternative for Use in Yogurt Production. Applied Sciences (Switzerland), 15(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/app15052686

Sariyanti, M., Adri, P. M., Wibowo, R. H., Nasution, A. A., Hidayah, T., & Sipriyadi. (2025). Molecular identification and antimicrobial activities of Bacillus subtilis MS-01 isolated from Indonesian ethnic food lemea. Biodiversitas, 26(3), 1069–1074. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d260305

Setiarto, R. H. B., & Herlina, V. T. (2024). Exploring bekasam, an indigenous fermented fish product of Indonesia: original South Sumatra region. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-024-00230-w

Ter, Z. Y., Chang, L. S., Babji, A. S., Zaini, N. A. M., Fazry, S., Sarbini, S. R., Peterbauer, C. K., & Lim, S. J. (2024). A review on proteolytic fermentation of dietary protein using lactic acid bacteria for the development of novel proteolytically fermented foods. International Journal of Food Science and Technology, 59(3), 1213–1236. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.16888

Zhou, T., Lei, X., Luo, Y., Ou, Y., Tian, S., Xie, Y., Zheng, Y., Sun, H., & Yang, F. (2025). High temperatures and antibacterial plant additives change the fermentation quality, free amino acids and lactic acid bacteria fermentation type in Caragana Korshinskii silage. BMC Microbiology, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-04153-7




DOI: https://doi.org/10.14421/biomedich.2025.142.897-903

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


Copyright (c) 2025 Nur Rohman, Muhammad Bachrun Alim



Biology, Medicine, & Natural Product Chemistry
ISSN 2089-6514 (paper) - ISSN 2540-9328 (online)
Published by Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University & Society for Indonesian Biodiversity.

CC BY NC
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC