Latilactobacillus sakei is a lactic acid bacterium widely isolated from various fermented foods and used as a starter cultures. It is also known that phenotypic features of L. sakei vary among the strains, however, not all of these strain-specific traits have been investigated and compared. In this study, the newly isolated L. sakei strain YI-1 from a Japanese traditional fermented food, nukazuke, whose several phenotypic features were evaluated by comparison with the type strain ATCC 15521. As a result, API 50 CH fermentation assay showed that YI-1 was able to ferment cellobiose and gluconate, which ATCC 15521 could not utilize, but not maltose and gentiobiose. Moreover, arginine utilization via the arginine deiminase pathway was more active in YI-1 strain. In addition, YI-1 strain exhibited rapid growth, l-lactic acid production and decreases of pH in MRS broth medium than ATCC 15521. Based on these results, it appears that such phenotype of YI-1 was acquired to adapt to and survive in the environment of the rice bran bed (nukadoko) from which the strain was isolated.
Toshiaki Shimizu (Sat,) studied this question.