Isolation and Molecular Characterization of Some Lactobacillus Species Isolated from Three Locally Fermented Foods

This study investigated the isolation and molecular characterization of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from three locally fermented Nigerian foods; West African soft cheese (Wara), fermented yellow maize cereal porridge (Ogi solo), and fermented white maize cereal porridge (Ogi funfun). Samples were obtained from Waso market in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, and processed according to standard microbiological techniques on MRS medium under anaerobic conditions. Total LAB counts ranged from 6.0 × 10⁶ to 11.0 × 10⁶ CFU/g, with the highest count in the yellow maize cereal porridge. Five distinct LAB isolates were obtained and molecularly characterized via 16S rRNA gene sequencing. From the BLAST analysis, with a similarity of 99-100% to the reference strains, the isolates were identified as Lactococcus lactis FYM1, Lactobacillus acidophilus FYM2, Lactobacillus paracasei WAC1, Lactobacillus delbrueckii WAC2, and Lactobacillus iners FWM. All the isolates have been deposited in NCBI GenBank under accession numbers PQ758598, PQ555634, PQ346814, PQ555635, and PQ555636, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolates clustered within the Lactobacillaceae family and had a close relationship to other known probiotic strains. This shows the very high diversity that exists among the beneficial LAB in traditional Nigerian fermented foods and their availability for further studies in food biotechnology and probiotic development.