Microorganisms associated with amylolytic starters and traditional fermented alcoholic beverages of North Western Himalayas in India

Traditional alcoholic brewing is generally a home-based industry mostly practiced by the ethnic people of Himalayas. Chhang, jau chhang and sura are the three most popular cereal based traditional fermented alcoholic beverages prepared and consumed by tribal and rural folks of Himachal Pradesh (North West Himalayas) using traditional inocula ‘phab’ and ‘dheli’. The numbers of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were in range of 1.7×104 CFU/g in chhang, 2.9×104 CFU/g in jau chhang, and 1.9×107 CFU/g in sura. LAB isolates were strains of Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Enterococcus faecium and Pediococcus pentosaceus based on comparison of the sequence of 16S rRNA genes. Yeasts were identified from all the three beverage samples with cell number ranging from 3.5×104 CFU/g for chhang, 1×105 CFU/g for jau chhang and 5.5×105 CFU/g for sura. Sequencing of D1/D2 26S rDNA regions identified the yeasts as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Saccharomyces fibuligera, Pichia kudriavzevii and Candida tropicalis.