Nutritional and microbiological characteristics of Dadih and their application to the food industry: A review

Abstract

Dadih is a typical Minangkabau dairy product which is produced through the application of the natural fermentation of buffalo milk in a bamboo tube under conditions facultative anaerobic due to the presence of banana leaves as the packaging cover. This review aims to examine nutritional characteristics and microbiological aspects of Dadih as a traditional fermented food product from West Sumatra, and the challenges and development of Dadih products for application in the food industry. Microbes that play a dominant role in Dadih fermentation are Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Enterococcus liquefaciens, Lactococcus lactis. Dadih product contains 10 types of essential amino acids, namely threonine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, histidine, lysine, and arginine. Diversification of Dadih products is an attempt to vary the types of Dadih on the market so that it can be produced sustainably and consumers have many choices for consumption. The use of packaging that is stable against gas pressure, such as the use of glass bottles or aluminum tubes that are vacuum packed, is expected to be a more appropriate choice and a solution to the problem of Dadih packaging in the future. One effort besides applying low temperature to extend the shelf life of the Dadih is to reduce most of the whey water content. Production of Dadih powder can be done by spray drying method. The development of commercial curd powder products can be carried out efficiently by direct spray drying technique without having to purify the starter. Powdered curd products have a longer shelf life and are standardized quality to be packaged in cans.