Isolation of lactic acid bacteria starters from <italic>Jeung</italic>-<italic>pyun</italic> for sourdough fermentation.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are key for the fermentation of sourdoughs to improve the quality and nutritive value of bread. The aim of this study was to isolate the LAB starter for sourdough fermentation from <italic>Jeung</italic>-<italic>pyun</italic>, a Korean traditional rice cake. Among the twenty two LAB screened, five isolates were selected based on exo-polysaccharide production. Among them, three isolates showed cell growth greater than 8.5 Log CFU/g, maximum increase in the volume of dough, and dextran concentration up to 0.16%. During the sourdough fermentation, pH and total titratable acidity (TTA) were changed, as the three isolates synthesized lactic acid and acetic acid with fermentation quotients less than 2.0. They were identified as <italic>Leuconostoc lactis</italic> EFEL005, <italic>Lactobacillus brevis</italic> EFEL004, and <italic>Le. citreum</italic> EFEL006. They displayed good fermentation properties (growth, dextran production, pH, and TTA) in dough and they are regarded as potential starters to be used in sourdough fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]