Isolation and characterization of acetic acid bacteria from palm sap (Arenga pinnata Merr.) for a starter culture in the production of Java plum (Syzigium cumini L.) vinegar

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to isolate and characterize the AAB from the palm sap collected from Aceh Besar District, Aceh Province, Indonesia, in order to determine its viability as a starter culture in the production of Java plum vinegar. The palm sap was collected from three villages (Pagar Air, Seulimum and Lam Pakuk) after aging for 30 days. The samples were grown on Yeast-Glucose-Carbonate agar for AAB isolation and microbiological analysis and were examined for total cell counts, pH, total soluble solid (TSS), and alcohol content in triplicate. This study has successfully isolated 2 isolates from Pagar Air village (P1, P2), 1 isolate from Seulimum village (P3), and 2 isolates from Lam Pakuk village (P4, P5) with different colony characteristics. The characteristics of Gram negative, catalase positive, and oxidase negative suggest AAB were represented on P2 and P5 isolates only. Based on TSS analysis, the bacteria in palm sap from Pagar Air village could successfully convert sugar into alcohol. Therefore, P2 has the potential to be used as a starter culture in the java plum vinegar production process.