Identification of growth characteristics and physiological functionality of useful fungi from nuruk

Abstract

Fungi were isolated and identified from nuruk produced in six regions, and the growth characteristics and various physiological functions of the five selected strains were investigated. These fungi exhibited optimum growth characteristics at 28-35°C and pH 5, and were acid resistant. The antibacterial activity of the five fungi against four types of harmful bacteria was determined using Salmonella typhimurium (57.9-71.4%) and Staphylococus aureus (57.5-70.0%), respectively. The antihypertensive activity showed ACE inhibitory activity of 98.9-99.6% and relatively high thrombolytic activity of 84.7-91.9%, compared to the positive control. The antidiabetic effect of five strains of the fungus showed α-amyloglucosidase inhibitory activity ranging from 20.4 to 26.6% of 0.5% acarbose. The fungi (Lichtheimia ramosa KJ-WF, Aspergillus oryzae SU-Y, and Lichtheimia panacisoli SU-BF) were confirmed to reduce the production of two or more types of cytokines by treating Raw 264.7 cells with LPS. In particular, Lichtheimia panacisoli SU-BF exhibited the best anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, the five strains of fungus showed potential to be used as a functional material in food manufacturing and pharmaceuticals industries.