Probiotic Characteristics of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From Sui Wu’u: A Traditional Food from Bajawa, West Flores, Indonesia

The probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria originating from traditional food will always be a concern for researchers, along with increasing public awareness of health. One source of LAB isolates with probiotic potential is traditional food. This study aims to investigate the probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria from Sui Wu’u, a traditional food-based pork originating from Bajawa, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Sui Wu’u was prepared based on method of the Bajawa community and was analyzed after being stored for six months. Total LAB, morphological, and phenotypic identification was carried out as well as testing the ability of isolates to ferment sugar. Probiotics potency was tested on resistance to low pH and gastric acid, resistance to pathogenic bacteria, and exposure to antibiotics. The results indicated that LAB isolated from Sui Wu’u were dominated by the coci form. The four selected isolates had resistance with a survival rate of 88.3%–96.88% when exposed to pH 2.5 and a survival rate of 98.69%–99.03% when exposed to bile salts at 0.3%. Moderate resistance was exhibited by all isolates against E. coli, S. typhimurium, and S. aureus, while no resistance was observed against B. cereus. All strains demonstrated sensitivity to tetracycline, ampicillin, and chloramphenicol but exhibited resistant to streptomycin. All four isolates were identified as Lactococcus lactis. These results show that four strains of Sui Wu’u have demonstrated their potential as probiotics.