Diversity of Culturable Bacterial in Various Parts of Luwak’s (Paradoxurus hermaprodithus javanica) Gastrointestinal Tract

Abstract

Coffee is an important commodity and one of the most popular beverages in the world. Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world every day (Ponte 2002). In 2012, Indonesia ranked third after Brazil and Vietnam in the global production of green coffee beans (USDA 2012). Five species of coffee that are commonly cultivated in the world include Coffea arabica, C. canephora, C. robusta, C. liberica, and C. excelsa (Doyle et al., 2001). In Indonesia C. robusta and C. arabica are the species mostly planted (Neilson, 2008). Due to its high market demand, coffee processing has developed to produce various flavors to satisfy the consumers. One type of coffee that is increasingly popular is luwak coffee (Kopi Luwak) which is produced exclusively by the Indonesian palm civet or luwak (Paradoxurus hermaphrodites ssp.). Luwak is a small mammal (Carnivora, Viverridae) living in the rain forests of Java and Sumatera, although its various subspecies are intensely distributed in South East Asia (Patou 2010). The distinctive taste of this coffee has been recognized since coffee plantation started in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial era. The luwak eats fruits, including coffee fruits or coffee cherries. Only the best and mature coffee cherries would be eaten by the luwak. This process will produce coffee with distinctive flavor. The price of luwak coffee is relatively high because only a small quantity of this coffee is produced (Marcone 2004). Once ingested by luwak, coffee cherries will pass through its entire digestive system. This process removes the outer layers of the fruit. After digestion, the remaining coffee beans were collected from the forest floor, cleaned, roasted, and ground; with the same process as the harvested coffee beans. Thus the unique flavor of Kopi Luwak comes from the digestion process in luwak, which includes mechanical, biochemical, and fermentation processes (Marcone 2004). Microorganisms, especially bacteria, are closely associated with the digestive process in monogastric animals (Kraatz 2010). Several studies have been conducted to determine the types of bacteria involved in the fermentation process, for example by trying to isolate the bacteria from faeces of civet and the luwak's coffee beans (Fauzi 2014). Currently, there is no information about the bacterial diversity in parts of Luwak coffee is a highly-priced coffee produced exclusively by the palm civet or luwak (Paradoxurus hermaphrodites ssp.). The purpose of this study was to determine the diversity of culturable bacteria in the gastro intestinal tract of luwak. The bacterial isolates were phenotypically characterized by their morphology and molecularly by analysis of their 1 500 bp 16s rDNA sequence. The results showed that Enterobacter cloacae and Lactobacillus brevis were found all over luwak's digestive tract. E. cloacae was the most common species. The most diverse bacterial population was found in small intestine. Seven bacterial genera were successfully identified from the small intestine and colon, compared to only ...

Gluconobacter dominates the gut microbiome of the Asian palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus that produces kopi luwak

“…A previous study reported that G. frateurii , G. japonicus are closest to each other ( Malimas et al, 2009 ). Our study suggests that the civet cat fecal microbiome is dominated by Gluconobacter , which was detected in a previous study using general cultivation methods ( Suhandono et al, 2016 ). In fact, a previous study of the cacao microbiome reported that Gluconobacter species is hardly detected by the cultivation method; however, using metagenomics and shotgun sequencing, the presence of Gluconobacter species was observed ( Agyirifo et al, 2019 ).…”

“…The unique gut microbiome of the civet cat might contribute to the characteristic physical properties and metabolite content of kopi luwak beans. A recent isolation and cultivation approach identified the bacterial species in the civet cat gastrointestinal tract, including Bacillus , Pseudomonas , Pantoea , Escherichia , Lactobacillus , Ochrobactrum and Kocuria ( Suhandono et al, 2016 ). However, the study was unable to define the entire microbiome because some of the gut bacteria were unculturable ( De Jager & Siezen, 2011 ).…”

Phenotypic Identification of Lactic Acid Bacteria From Civet (Paradoxorus Hermaphroditus)

“…The total LAB number was between 0.14 x 10 7 -3.71 x 10 8 cfu/ml. This result lower than those reported by Suhandono et al [15] and Muzaifa et al [16]. Table 1 indicated that the total number of LAB increased from the stomach to the small intestine and colon.…”

Peer Review #2 of "Gluconobacter dominates the gut microbiome of the Asian palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus that produces kopi luwak (v0.2)"

“…Manuscript to be reviewed methods (Suhandono et al, 2016). In fact, a previous study of the cacao microbiome reported that Gluconobacter species is hardly detected by the cultivation method; however, using metagenomics and shotgun sequencing, the presence of Gluconobacter species was observed (Agyirifo et al, 2019).…”

“…Manuscript to be reviewed including Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Pantoea, Escherichia, Lactobacillus, Ochrobactrum, and Kocuria (Suhandono et al, 2016). However, the study was unable to define the entire microbiome because some of the gut bacteria were unculturable (de Jager & Siezen, 2011).…”