Tungrymbai - A traditional fermented soybean food of the ethnic tribes of Meghalaya

Tungrymbai is a fermented indigenous soybean food, common to the ethnic tribes of Meghalaya.The microbial diversity in this food is studied to assess the nature of microbes and their source during spontaneous fermentation.The microorganisms associated with this fermented food are also present in the equipment and materials used during preparation and packing.Various species of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and spore forming forms were recovered in the isolation process which included Bacillus subtilis (Ehrenberg), Entercoccus faecium (Orla-Jensen) Schleifer and Klipper-Balz, Candida parapsilosis (Ashford) Langeron and Talice, Geotrichum candidum Link, Saccharomyces bayanus Sacc.and Saccharomycopsis fibuligera (Linder) Klocker.The fermenting microbes were found to be associated with the equipments and materials used during the spontaneous fermentation of Tungrymbai.Spore forming forms were isolated from all the materials and equipments used during the process while lactic acid bacteria and yeasts could be isolated only from selective materials.