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Selection of autochthonous strains as promising starter cultures for Fior di Latte , a traditional cheese of southern Italy
Author(s) -
Speranza Barbara,
Bevilacqua Antonio,
Corbo Maria Rosaria,
Altieri Clelia,
Sinigaglia Milena
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.6686
Subject(s) - starter , lactic acid , food science , selection (genetic algorithm) , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , chemistry , computer science , genetics , artificial intelligence
BACKGROUND This paper describes the selection of promising strains intended as starter cultures from the autochthonous lactic acid bacteria of Fior di Latte cheese (Apulia region, southern Italy). RESULTS Ninety‐five isolates were randomly selected from whey and Fior di Latte . After preliminary characterization based upon Gram staining, deamination of arginine, hydrolysis of esculine and production of CO 2 from glucose and citrate, the isolates were studied for their growth at different temperatures (10, 15 and 45 °C), with salt addition (20, 40 and 65 g L −1 ) and at pH 4.4 and their acidification score in MRS broth after 6 and 24 h. Data were modeled through the growth index and used as input to run a preliminary cluster analysis and a principal component analysis. In this way, nine promising strains were selected and used for validation at laboratory level, to study the acidification score in milk and propose some possible microbial mixtures. CONCLUSION This paper reports the first research focusing on the design of a lactic starter for the production of Fior di Latte cheese, using a quantitative approach based on the evaluation of growth index and acidification score as well as on the use of a multivariate approach to select the most promising nine strains. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry