Abstract:
Kocuria/ Micrococcus species have been implicated as microbial population of fermented African oil bean seed ‘ugba’, but has never been characterized and its role in the fermentation not known. In this study Kocuria varians was isolated from fermented African oil bean seed. The organism could not utilize citrate and was coagulase, methyl red and oxidase negative. It appeared as deep yellow circular, entire, convex colonies without hemolytic reaction. The organism was alkalophilic and moderately halophilic and could utilize a range of substrates as carbon source including soluble starch, bambara nut flour, palm, oil, olive oil and gelatin. The K. varians isolate produced extracellular amylase, lipase and protease when grown on various media. Rate of production of these enzymes was dependent on the composition of the growth medium. Ability to produce proteolytic, lipolytic and amylolytic enzymes which are required to hydrolyze the major nutrients in African oil bean seed indicates that it could play a role in nutrient availability to the fermenting flora, or in aroma and flavor qualities of the fermented food.
