earticle

영어

Raw rice wine (RRW), called Makgeoli, is the most traditional alcoholic beverage in Korea. It has an alcoholic content of 6-7 percent. Traditional Korean RRW is entering the spotlight in domestic and international markets due to its good taste, nutritious quality, and reputation as being good for health. The market production of RRW brands in the region has increased in recent years. However, there has been no information regarding the inhibition of growth of RRW-related bacteria. Furthermore, rapid fermentation leads to deterioration in product quality, which is a serious problem for exporting of goods onto the world market. The object of this study was to improve the quality and prolong the shelf life of RRW. We isolated a lactic acid bacterium from RRW, which was identified as Lactobacillus fermentum (98%) based on the 16S rRNA sequence. Treatments of the RRW with various natural plant extracts changed its bacterial population. In particular, catechin products have proven to be very effective in the inhibition of bacterial population growth. The results suggest that natural plant extracts such as catechin products can be used as natural preservatives. The results can provide meaningful data for introducing RRW onto the competitive world market.