Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 27 No. 6 (2026)

Antimicrobial activity and metabolite profiling of lactic acid bacteria isolated from solid and liquid tofu waste

RYAN MOULANA (Department of Agricultural Product Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Jl. Tgk. Hasan Krueng Kalee 3, Banda Aceh 23111, Aceh, Indonesia)
YULIA SARI ISMAIL (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Jl. Syech Abdurrauf No. 3, Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Aceh, Indonesia)
DEWI YUNITA (Department of Agricultural Product Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Jl. Tgk. Hasan Krueng Kalee 3, Banda Aceh 23111, Aceh, Indonesia)
DALLYA IZLA (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Jl. Syech Abdurrauf No. 3, Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Aceh, Indonesia)
CUT YULVIZAR (Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala. Jl. Syech Abdurrauf No. 3, Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Aceh, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
06 Aug 2026

Abstract

Abstract. Moulana R, Ismail YS, Yunita D, Izla D, Yulvizar C. 2026. Antimicrobial activity and metabolite profiling of lactic acid bacteria isolated from solid and liquid tofu waste. Biodiversitas 27 (6): d270621. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d270621. The production of tofu generates two types of waste by-products: solid (tofu pulp) and liquid (tofu whey). These by-products are rich in carbohydrates and proteins, which can support the growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The objective of this study was to isolate and phenotypically characterize presumptive LAB isolates from tofu waste and to evaluate their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. Presumptive LAB were isolated using De Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) agar supplemented with 1% CaCO₃ and phenotypically characterized based on Gram-positive reaction, catalase-negative activity, and cocci or rod-shaped cell morphology. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the disc diffusion method with cell-free supernatants (CFS) as a preliminary antimicrobial screening approach. The results showed that eight presumptive LAB isolates were obtained, consisting of three isolates from solid tofu waste (LPT1-LPT3) and five from liquid tofu waste (LCT1-LCT5). LPT1 demonstrated the largest inhibition zone against S. aureus (12.77 mm; strong category), while LCT1 exhibited the largest inhibition against E. coli (7.26 mm; moderate category). However, no antifungal activity was detected against C. albicans. GC-MS metabolite profiling of isolates LPT1 and LCT1 identified 18 chemical compounds, with acetic acid detected as the dominant metabolite in both isolates. These findings indicate that LAB isolated from tofu waste may represent a potential source of antimicrobial metabolites. However, further quantitative and molecular analyses are required to clarify the contribution of specific metabolites to the observed antibacterial activity.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

biodiv

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology

Description

The Biodiversitas Journal was first published in 2000 by the Department of Biology, FMNS, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia, then in 2006 it was co-published by the Society for Indonesian Biodiversity and that department; since 2017 it was also hosted by Smujo. From 2003-2012 it was ...