A study was carried out to identify lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from chibuku that would be later assessed for potential as starter cultures. Thirty-eight isolates were Gram stained and the 20, which were Gram positive, were identified to genus level using morphological, physiological and biochemical tests. Five genera of lactic acid bacteria were identified and these were
Lactobacillus
(seven isolates coded B1, B2, C4, E3, E6, F1 and F4),
Lactococcus
(five isolates: E1, F5, G5, G6 and H1),
Leuconostoc
(three isolates: E2, D5, F6),
Streptococcus
(two isolates: G2 and G4) and
Enterococcus
(three isolates: B3, B4 and G3).
From these genera, eleven isolates five from the genus
Lactobacillus, three from
Lactococcus and three from
Leuconostoc were selected for identification to species level using API 50 CH kits. The
Lactobacillus strains were identified as follows: two strains were
Lb plantarum (C4 and F4), two strains
Lb. delbrueckii (B2 and E3), one strain could not be assigned to a species and was termed
Lactobacillus sp. E6. Two of the
Lactococcus isolates were identified as
Lc. lactis subsp.
lactis (G6 and H1), while the third isolate was
Lc. raffinolactis (strain F5). The three
Leuconostoc strains were
Ln. mesenteroides subsp.
mesenteroides.
