Pado is a unique fermented fish product of West Sumatera Indonesia, prepared using dried Pangium edule Reinw seed in combination with grated coconut, with or without salt. Changing of microflora during fermentation has not been extensively reported. This study observed the changes of microflora, especially lactic acid bacteria, during fermentation for 7 days at room temperature (25-30 °C) of pado without the addition of salt. No microorganisms were found on dried P. edule seed. Enterobacteriaceae and spore-forming bacteria decreased and were not found at the end of the fermentation, while the yeast and mold counts were relatively constant at a low level. Instead, lactic acid bacteria increased along with the fermentation process, in line with the decreasing of pH, water contents, and water activity of the fish product. Apparently, few species of lactic acid bacteria are involved during fermentation, most likely due to the use of P. edule seed (as no salt was used). Partial sequencing based on the 16S rRNA gene showed that Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus pentosus were consistently identified at the various fermentation steps. This study reports that although lactic acid bacteria predominate, only a few species are involved in pado fermentation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.