Morphological and physiological characteristics of bacteria isolated from pliek u production

Pliek u is a traditional coconut product from Aceh, Indonesia where the coconut meat is grated, fermented, sun-dried, pressed, and separated from the oil before it is used as a cooking spice. During the fermentation process, the types of microorganisms vary widely. The aim of this research is to identify the morphological characteristics (the shape of colony, Gram staining, catalase test, oxidase test) and physiological characteristics (resistance test to pH of 2, 3 and 4 and resistance test to temperature of 23°C, 37°C and 45°C) of five bacteria isolates (S5-1, S5-23, S5-30, S6-49 and S6-58). The selection of these isolates was carried out based on their ability to grow on MRS agar which were incubated at 37°C for 48 hours at facultative anaerobic condition after two years storage in glycerol at −20°C. The results of the morphological characterization test showed that isolates S5-1 and S6-49 are expected to be Leuconostoc sp. Isolates S5-23, S5-30 and S6-58 are Gram-negative coccus, catalase positive and oxidase negative bacteria. The results of the physiological characteristics test showed that the five isolates could grow at all tested pH and temperature levels.