Isolation of lactic acid bacteria from Lighvan cheese, a semihard cheese made from raw sheep milk in Iran

Abstract

The lactic acid bacteria contributing to Lighvan cheese ripening during the different stages of production were investigated. Isolated strains from different culture media were identified phenotypically to species and subspecies level. In total, 413 strains were isolated from raw milk, 1-day-old cheese and fully ripened cheese. The most abundant species belonged to Enterococcus faecium (87 isolates), Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis (68 isolates), Enterococcus faecalis (55 isolates) and Lactobacillus plantarum (48 isolates). E. faecium, Lc. lactis and Lb. plantarum were the predominantly isolated strains from ripened cheese. Therefore, they may contribute considerably to the aroma and flavour development of Lighvan cheese. © 2009 Society of Dairy Technology.