Diversity of Lactic Acid Bacteria in the Korean Traditional Fermented Beverage Shindari, Determined Using a Culture-dependent Method

The fermented food Shindari is a low-alcohol drink that is indigenous to Jeju island, South Korea. In this study, the diversity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in Shindari was determined using a culture-dependent method. LAB were cultivated from Shindari samples using two different LAB culture media. Twenty-seven strains were randomly selected and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The identified LAB strains comprised 6 species within the Enterococcus, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus genera. Five of the species, namely Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus fermentum, L. plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus and P. acidilactici were isolated from MRS medium, while 1 species, L. pentosus, was isolated from Rogosa medium. Most of the isolated strains were identified as members of the genus Lactobacillus (78%). This study provides basic microbiological information on the diversity of LAB and provides insight into the ecological roles of LAB in Shindari.