Identification and characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from artisanal white brined Golija cows' milk cheeses

The aim of this study was to identify and characterize the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of artisanal Golija raw and cooked cows' milk cheeses traditionally manufactured without the addition of starter culture. A total of 188 Gram-positive and catalase-negative isolates of Golija cheeses were obtained from seven samples of different ripening time. Phenotype-based assays as well as rep-PCR and 16S rDNA sequence analysis were undertaken for all 188 LAB strains. The most diverse species were isolated from 20-day-old BGGO8 cheese (Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei/paracasei, Lactobacillus sucicola, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis by. diacetylactis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus durans and Leuconostoc mesenteroides). In other Golija cheeses Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Lactococcus garvieae, Streptococcus thermophilus and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides were found. Pronounced antimicrobial properties showed enterococci (13/42) and lactococci (12/31), while the good proteolytic activity demonstrated lactococci (13/31) and lactobacilli (10/29)