Pyrosequencing-based analysis of the bacterial community in Korean traditional seafood, ojingeo jeotgal

Jeotgal fermentation is dependent upon a diverse microbial community, although a detailed understanding of its microbial composition is limited to a relatively small number of jeotgal. Pyrosequencing-based bacterial community analysis was performed in fermented squid, ojingeo jeotgal. Leuconostoc was identified as the predominant bacterial genus, with Bacillus and Staphylococcus also accounting for a large proportion of the bacterial community. Phylogenetic analysis with 16S rRNA genes of Leuconostoc type species indicated that L. citreum- and L. holzapfelii-like strains could be the major Leuconostoc strains in jeotgal. High concentrations of NaCl were thought to be an important factor determining the makeup of the bacterial community in the fermented squid; however, a genomic survey with osmotic stress-related genes suggests the existence of more complex factors selecting the dominant bacterial species in fermented squid.