Identification and major technological characteristics of Lactococcus and Lactobacillus strains isolated from hamoum, an Algerian fermented wheat

Twenty-eight strains of lactic bacteria were isolated from fermented wheat "hamoum" and phenotypically attributed to the following species: seven strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, six strains of Lactobacillus brevis and 15 strains of Lactobacillus plantarum. The acidifying behavior of the strains is considerably variably demanding on considered strain. The amounts of lactic acid produced reached 9.7 g for lactococci. Strains (27) showed proteolytic activity in the presence of 1% skimmed milk. The lipolysis activity of L. lactis strains was greater than that expressed by lactobacilli. The search for aromatic activity showed that four out of ten citratase producing strains can produce acetoin. The results indicate that L. plantarum is the most dominant strain in the "hamoum" with the most important technological characteristics.   Key words: “Hamoum”, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum, identification, proteolysis, lipolysis, exopolysaccharides (EPS), aromatic activity.