Development of a novel lactic acid bacterium that can reduce histamine in soy sauce

In soy sauce production, histamine, which causes allergy-like food poisoning, has become a problem. As a countermeasure against the proliferation of wild lactic acid bacteria responsible for histamine formation, a new lactic acid bacterial strain, Tetragenococcus halophilus MS0204, was isolated from soy sauce moromi in Miyazaki prefecture. The efficacy of adding MS0204, which does not produce histamine, as a starter culture was investigated, and it was confirmed that its use suppressed histamine production. Furthermore, sensory evaluations indicated that the quality of soy sauce produced with MS0204 was comparable to or superior to that of additive-free soy sauce. These findings confirm the suitability of this novel lactic acid bacterium as a starter for soy sauce production.