Abstract:In order to investigate the microbial diversity in a papaya enzyme preparation during the natural fermentation process, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) was used to analyze the diversity and the pattern of changes of bacteria and yeast during natural fermentation. The results indicated that the main bacterial species were Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides, Weissella paramesenteroides, and uncultured Propionibacterium sp.; the dominant bacterium was Lactobacillus plantarum. The main yeast species were Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida xestobii, Candida intermedia, Pichia guilliermondii, Komagataella phaffii, Pichia punctispora, Pichia galeiformis, Clavispora sp., and Cyberlindnera fabianii. The dominant yeast species were Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia guilliermondii. Moreover, Lactobacillus plantarum and Pichia galeiformis shared a high affinity with uncultured Propionibacterium sp. and Cyberlindnera fabianii, respectively, and a low affinity with other microorganisms. During natural fermentation, the microflora populations exhibited alternating growth patterns and showed a certain affinity; the colony structure changed slightly with uniform distribution.
