Activity of adventitious Enterococcus strains on model curdled caprine milk: microbial growth and evolution of concentration of organic acids and lactose throughout time

Enterococci offer a few unique advantages when compared with other lactic acid bacteria in that they are resistant to phages, stable lactose fermenters, tolerant to relatively high concentrations of sodium chloride and optimal growers at relatively high temperatures (Franz et al., 1999). Such genus occurs and grows in a variety of cheeses, especially artisanal cheeses produced in Southern Europe usually from raw milk; they are claimed to play a major role in ripening and aroma development in such cheeses (Freitas et al., 1995; Macedo et al., 1995). Enterococci can produce lactic, acetic, propionic and succinic acids (Ocando et al., 1994), compounds that have been correlated with flavor characteristics of cheese; hence strains of Enterococcus have been successfully used as starters for different cheese (Franz et al., 1999).