Fermented Bamboo Shoots: A Rich Niche for Bioprospecting Lactic Acid Bacteria

Review Article

J Bacteriol Mycol. 2016; 3(4): 1034.

Fermented Bamboo Shoots: A Rich Niche for Bioprospecting Lactic Acid Bacteria

Thakur K¹, Rajani CS¹, Tomar SK¹* and Panmei A²

¹Dairy Microbiology Division, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, India

²Animal Genetics and Breeding, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, India

*Corresponding author: Sudhir Kumar Tomar, Dairy Microbiology Division, National Dairy Research Institute, India

Received: June 07, 2016; Accepted: August 30, 2016; Published: September 02, 2016

Abstract

Recent reports and studies have witnessed the evolution of Bamboo Shoots (BS) from grass to health foods. Bamboo shoots contribute to traditional delicacy of majority of Asian countries like China, Japan, US, North East India, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan, Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia. In India, bamboos are harvested annually in Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Mizoram. Besides, low in fat and cholesterol, but very high in potassium, carbohydrates and dietary fibres, these are lately being recognized foods of health importance. These also contain nutritious and active materials (vitamins and amino acids) and antioxidants (flavones, phenols and steroids). Fermented bamboo shoots not only have extended shelf life but fermentation also enhances the safety of foods using the natural microflora and their antibacterial compounds. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are the dominant microorganisms in ethnic fermented vegetables and bamboo shoot products of the Himalayas. Various tradition foods prepared from fermented bamboo shoots can be a potential source of LAB. LAB prevalent during fermentation process, produce various aroma component, acid, bacteriocins and expolysaccharides which contribute to the development of some characteristic properties such as taste, visual appearance, texture, shelf life and safety. The present review aims to deliberate over thenutritional and medicinal properties of bamboo shoots, their industrial importance and how these offer to be a rich niche for Bioprospecting LAB. The article also emphasizes on the functional and technological attributes of natural microbial flora of different fermented bamboo shoot products which position them as one of the most suitable traditional foods with immense health benefits for human consumption.

Keywords: Lactic acid bacteria; Health; Nutrition; Probiotic; Functional foods

Introduction

Although the use of bamboo shoots in tribal diet continues to be an age-old traditional practice, yet the food potential of the bamboo shoot per se remained little known all these years. There arises immense need to explore them as a food source, their nutritive and medicinal values, microbiological and economic importance of bamboo shoots with a holistic perspective. These are popular in Asiatic countries and constitute a major component of their traditional cuisine and now it is slowly gaining attention even in western countries. Being low in fat, high in dietary fibre and rich in mineral content, like an ideal vegetable, these have been used traditionally by tribal people for decades globally [1]. In recent years, these have attracted many research groups in Asia and evidences showed the immense nutritive and medicinal potential of Bamboo as it has been used in various traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda [2]. Deep insights into the biological and biochemical basis of indigenous knowledge of the ethnic people of Northeast India for production of non-perishable bamboo shoots by lactic acid fermentation helps to develop both lowcost functional foods, and understand the functionality of microbial diversity.

Any edible product prepared from raw or cooked materials of plant or animal origin by adding microorganism deliberately forms fermented food [3,4]. The utilisation of locally available agricultural and livestock produces into edible products is a common practice among the tribal people of Asian countries [5]. Particularly in India, varieties of fermented foods and beverages are traditionally prepared and consumed, and even marketed locally in North East India [6]. Among them, bamboo shoots based fermented foods contain Lactobacillus plantarum, L. brevis, L. corniformis, L. fermentum, Leuconostocfallax, Lactococcuslactis, L. mesenteroides, Enterococcus durans, Streptococcus lactis, L. caseiand Tetragenococcushalophilus [7-10]. Being as predominant LAB species in fermented bamboo shoots products, they also possess functional probiotic properties as well as B-vitamin supplier to human body [11-13]. Fermented bamboo shoot forms a rich ecological niche which harbours a plethora of microorganisms [14]. Hence these indigenous acidic nonsalted fermented products can be considered as a natural repository of diverse LAB with desirable functional and technological attributes (Table 1).