International Journal of Agricultural Technology 2019 Vol. 15(1): 195-206 Available online http://www.ijat-aatsea.com ISSN: 2630-0613 (Print) 2630-0192 (Online) Characteristics of probiotic tapai made by the addition of Lactobacillus plantarum 1 Yusmarini, Johan, V. S., Fitriani, S., Rahmayuni, Artanti, V. F. and Pato, U. * Department of Agricultural Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Riau, Kampus Bina Widya Km. 12.5 Simpang Baru, Pekanbaru 28293, Indonesia. Yusmarini, Johan, V. S., Fitriani, S., Rahmayuni, Artanti, V. F. and Pato, U. (2019). Characteristics of probiotic Tapai made by the addition of Lactobacillus plantarum1. International Journal of Agricultural Technology 15(1): 195-206. Abstract Tapai is one of the fermented products made from starch sources such as glutinous rice and cassava. The indigenous amylolytic lactic acid bacteria in the production of tapai was utilized and found the chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of the probiotic tapai. Tapai by the addition of various strains of Lactobacillus plantarum 1 as starter. The results showed that tapai added by various strains of L. plantarum 1 had slightly different characteristics with tapai made with the addition of yeast only as starter. Tapai supplemented by L. plantarum 1 strains had a lower pH value and alcohol content than tapai added with yeast only. The number of lactic acid bacteria ranged from 10 8 to 10 9 CFU/ml. Overall assay showed that tapai supplemented by L. plantarum 1 strains was preferably liked by panelists. Especially tapai supplemented by L.plantarum 1 RN2-53 was more preferred by panelists than tapai supplemented by L. plantarum 1 RN2- 12112 and L. plantarum 1 RN1-23121 in term of colour, aroma, taste, and texture. Keywords : Lactobacillus plantarum 1, glutinous rice, cassava, tapai Introduction Awareness of relation between food and the possibility of various diseases has changed people's opinion about food that is not only to fill up the hunger and as a source of nutrients, but also to maintain health. Foods that have the ability to influence physiological processes so that improve health or prevent from diseases are known as functional foods. Fermented products, a type of functional foods have beneficial health effects such as hypocholesterolemic effect, antihypertensive, and so on. The beneficial health effects for fermented products derive from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as well as bioactive components produced during the fermentation process. Research on the role of LAB in reducing plasma cholesterol levels has been widely carried out. Cholesterol reduction process by LAB can be performed directly or indirectly. The direct reduction mechanism is carried out through cholesterol assimilation and the indirect reduction happens through the mechanism of * Coressponding Author: Pato, U.; Email: usmanpato@yahoo.com