MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIBACTERIAL ANALYSIS OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA FROM COCONUT WATER (COCOS NUCIFERA) AS A PROBIOTIC CANDIDATE

Coconut water has been traditionally used as a fever medicine by the Minangkabau people in Indonesia since ancient
times, but the chemical or probiotic components have not been widely studied. Therefore, this study aims to isolate
and molecularly identify the probiotics found in coconut water, as well as to analyze their antimicrobial and
antioxidant abilities. The Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolation was conducted by applying MRSA + CaCO3 with a
concentration of 0.5%, and the molecular identification used the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) method.
Meanwhile, morphological and physiological identifications were also carried out with biochemical tests. The agar
diffusion method was used to analyantimicrobialsial by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zone. The results
showed that 97 isolates were lactic acid bacteria, while morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests showed
Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus sp 1, Pediococcus sp 2, Pediococcus sp 3, and
Pediococcus sp 4, as well as two species of fungi such as Candida sp and Rizhopus. The molecular identification
showed that Enterococcus faecalis strain 2358 can inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, coconut
water can be traditionally used to treat fever medicine because it contains probiotics and antimicrobial properties