Identification and Technological Characterisation of Lactic Acid Bacteria Iso-lated From Traditional Algerian Cheese “J ben”

Lactic acid bacteria have long been utilized in fermented foods and dairy products such as cheese, these bacteria play an important role in food bio-preservation, organoleptic properties development, and quality improvement. The purpose of this research was to determine and assess the biotechnological characteristics of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Algerian cheese "J'ben". Fifteen lactic acid bacteria (gram positive, catalase negative) were molecularly identified according to their 16S rDNA sequences, six belonged to Enterococcus durans, three to Enterococcus faecium, three to Lactococcus lactis, and three to Leuconostoc mesenteroide. The strains were evaluated for proteolysis, lipolysis, antibacterial activity, exopolysaccharide synthesis, and safety (hemolytic activity). All studied strains had considerable proteolytic activity but no lipolysis potential, they were also all γ-hemolytic. The antimicrobial activity of the stains against three pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus warneri, Serratia plymuthica, and Enterobacter aerogenes) revealed that they were active against at least one of them. Finally, only three organisms produced exopolysaccharide in our study Enterococcus durans (KC1); Leuconos-toc mesenteroide (KC6); and Lactococcus lactis (KC15). These findings suggest that the lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional cheese "J'ben" have significant technological propereties, making them suitable for use as starter culture in fermented dairy products.
