The present study was done to select the potential autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the production of shalgam, which is a traditional Turkish lactic acid-fermented beverage. Eighteen LAB belonging to the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Pediococcus, and Leuconostoc isolated previously from shalgam samples produced in the university laboratory and by small- and largescale producers in industry were used. | Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research Article Turk J Agric For (2013) 37: 212-220 © TÜBİTAK doi: Selection of potential autochthonous starter cultures from shalgam, a traditional Turkish lactic acid-fermented beverage 1, 2 Hasan TANGÜLER * Hüseyin ERTEN Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Niğde University, 51100 Niğde, Turkey 2 Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Çukurova University, 01330 Adana, Turkey 1 Received: Accepted: Published Online: Printed: Abstract: The present study was done to select the potential autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the production of shalgam, which is a traditional Turkish lactic acid-fermented beverage. Eighteen LAB belonging to the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Pediococcus, and Leuconostoc isolated previously from shalgam samples produced in the university laboratory and by small- and largescale producers in industry were used. Pasteurized black carrot juice was inoculated individually with these selected LAB strains and fermented for 10 days. The strains of Lb. plantarum gave the highest numbers during fermentations with a range of – log cfu mL–1. Lb. plantarumbx produced the highest total acidity, g L–1 as lactic acid, followed by Lb. paracasei subsp. paracasei 2, Lb. plantarumcx, Lb. plantarumax, and Lb. fermentum, with a range of –22 g L–1 as lactic acid. Only Lb. delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii and Lb. fermentum grew at 45 °C, but none of the LAB species grew with 18% NaCl and at pH . During the sensory analysis, the most preferred sample was that obtained by Lb. plantarumbx, followed by Lb. fermentum and Lb. paracasei subsp. paracasei 2. These findings indicate that Lb. plantarumbx, Lb. fermentum, and Lb. paracasei subsp. paracasei 2 have potential as starter cultures for the production of shalgam. Key words: Autochthonous
