Isolation and Characterization of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Fermented Food of North-West Himalayas

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are ubiquitous and are one of the major microbial groups involved in the fermentation of various types of food. They are the most dominant microbes present in milk or milk products and fermented foods where they play vital roles in both the manufacturing and ripening processes. Kaladhi is one of the traditional fermented products of the North-West Himalaya region. It is a hard and dry cheese. In our research, a total of 9 isolates was isolated and was evaluated on the basis of preliminary characterization viz. morphological as well as biochemical characterization and was examined for their antagonistic activity against following pathogens. On the basis of their maximum antagonistic potential against food-borne pathogenic bacteria, isolate K1 is characterized by 16S rRNA sequencing. The isolate was identified as Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. Tolerans strain NBRC 15906 K1|MN814072|.This research was aimed to study the unexplored microflora of Kaladhi and to determine its probiotic potential