Shibazuke is a traditional Japanese eggplant pickle produced by the process of fermentation using lactic acid bacteria (LAB). LAB which is commonly present in vegetables causes the spontaneous fermentation of vegetables, resulting in the distinctive acidic flavor of pickles. While LAB is beneficial, other species of bacteria and microbes that may be present in the food source can affect the food quality and safety.
Advancements in the areas of food technology and nutrition have allowed the large-scale fermentation of pickles via industrial fermenters, where conditions that affect fermentation like temperature, pH-acid levels, and salt content are closely monitored. The important role of specific microbial populations in spontaneous fermentation and their interactions that influence the overall quality of fermented products have been vastly studied. However, studies to replicate spontaneous fermentation involving sterile raw materials and artificially constructed microbiota are limited.
In a bid to reveal the complex microbial succession-changes in microbial populations during spontaneous fermentation and its effects on the final products, Associate Professor Takuji Yamada from the School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan and Dr. Kazunori Sawada from the Innovation Division, Gurunavi, Inc., Japan have conducted a novel study utilizing industrially produced shibazuke .
Their research findings were published in the Microbiology Spectrum journal.
