Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Algerian arid zone raw goats\' milk

Diversity and density of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Algerian raw goats\' milk in arid zones were studied by determination of morphological, cultural, physiological and biochemical characteristics. 206 lactic acid bacterial strains were isolated, with 115 of them belonging to lactic acid cocci and others to the genus, Lactobacillus. The representative species of the total cocci were Lactococcus sp. (76.16%), Streptococcus thermophilus (14.78%) and Leuconostoc sp. (8.6%). The dominating species is Lactococcus lactis subsp. Lactis. Lactobacilli species found in local raw goats\' milk and their proportion were: Lb. curvatus (25.25%), Lb. helviticus (10.98%), Lb. plantarum (9.89%), Lb. reuteri (9.89%), Lb. casei (7.69%), Lb. brevis (5.49%), Lb. bulgaricus (5.49%) Lb. paracasei (4.39%) and Lb. acidophilus (2.19%). Key Words: Lactic acid bacteria, raw milk, goat, arid zones, identification. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(6) 2004: 339-34