Bacterial Community and Anti-Cerebrovascular Disease-Related Bacillus Species Isolated from Traditionally Made Kochujang from Different Provinces of Korea

Abstract

Traditionally made Kochujang (TMK) is a long-term fermented soybean and rice mixture with red pepper and salts. The ambient bacteria in rice straw and nutrient components of Kochujang influence the bacteria community. We aimed to investigate the bacterial composition and quality of TMK from different provinces of Korea: Chungcheung (CC), Jeolla (JL), Kyungsang (KS), and GeongGee plus Kangwon (GK) provinces, and Jeju island (JJ). Furthermore, Bacillus spp. isolated from TMK were studied to have anti-cerebrovascular disease activity and probiotic properties. Seventy-three TMK samples from different regions were collected to assess the biogenic amine contents, bacteria composition using next-generation methods, and bacterial functions using Picrust2. Bacillus spp. was isolated from the collected TMK, and their antioxidant, fibrinolytic, and angiotensin I conversion enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities and probiotic properties were examined. KS TMK had lower sodium contents than the other TMK. There were no significant differences in histamine and tyramine contents among the TMK samples in different provinces. The predominant bacteria in TMK was Bacillus spp., but KS included much less Bacillus spp. and higher Enterococcus and Staphylococcus than the other TMK. Gene expression related to lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis was higher in KS TMK than the other TMK in Picrust2. The predominant Bacillus spp. isolated from TMK was B. subtilis and B. velezensis. B. subtilis SRCM117233, SRCM117245, and SRCM117253 had antioxidant activity, whereas B. subtilis had higher fibrinolytic activity than other Bacillus spp. Only B. velezensis SRCM117254, SRCM117311, SRCM117314, and SRCM117318 had over 10% ACE inhibitory activity. In conclusion, KS had less Bacillus related to lower sodium contents than the other TMK. The specific strains of B. subtilis and B. velezensis had antioxidant, fibrinolytic, and ACE inhibitory activity, and they can be used as a starter culture to produce better quality controlled Kochujang with anti-cerebrovascular disease activities.

Anti-Obesity Effects of Traditional and Commercial Kochujang in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Traditional Kochujang contains more carbohydrate sources than those present in other traditional sauces and may contain a large population of various bacteria [ 20 ]. Since the presence of beneficial bacteria such as Bacillus spp.…”

“…Since the presence of beneficial bacteria such as Bacillus spp. in Kochujang varies with fermentation conditions and component composition [ 20 ], the health effects may differ between traditional Kochujang containing varying amounts of microorganisms and commercial Kochujang. Therefore, we divided the traditional Kochujang administration group into two groups and used Kochujang inoculated with a high content of an effective strain and Kochujang inoculated with a low content.…”

“…Traditional Kochujang composition varies with the province of Korea in production, carbohydrate content, and bacteria present in the fermentation environment [ 20 ]. Since Kochujang has a lower salinity and higher carbohydrate content than soybean paste, the growth of harmful bacteria may increase [ 29 ].…”

“…Kochujang inoculated with Bacillus spp. has anti-cerebrovascular disease effects, and the properties differ depending on the province of Korea it is prepared in [ 20 ]. Traditional Kochujang has also been found to show a difference in functionality depending on the abundance of microorganisms [ 20 ].…”

Protective Effects of Fermented Soybeans (Cheonggukjang) on Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-Induced Colitis in a Mouse Model

“…Bacterial community analysis of Cheonggukjang was performed using an NGS, as described previously [21]. Briefly, the total DNA from the collected Cheonggukjang samples was extracted by DNeasy PowerSoil Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), and amplified with V3-V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene targeting primers.…”