Isolation and characterization of lactic acid bacteria from Ağrı regional white cheese

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), an important group of microorganisms, are generally found in high nutritional products as meat, vegetables and milk products and enable the formation of fermented products by using the carbohydrates present in their environment. These microorganisms both protect fermented products and make them healthier and longer-lasting by producing special compounds such as lactic, acetic and citric acid. In light of this information, in the current study, 55 bacterial isolates were obtained from 14 local white cheese samples collected from 7 different regions representing Ağrı Province. In addition to morphological, physiological and biochemical tests for the identification of these isolates; bile salt tolerance, antibiotic susceptibility and antagonistic activity parameters were also performed. Within the scope of molecular tests, DNA isolation of 55 isolates, amplification of 16S rDNA gene region and sequence analysis of 16S rDNA gene region were performed. According to the sequence analysis of 16S rDNA gene region, isolates were belonging to five different genera (Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc and Lactobacillus) were identified as LAB. In addition, ten different bacterial genera (Staphylococcus, Microbacterium, Phyllobacterium, Micrococcus, Hafnia, Shigella, Serratia, Leifsonia, Stenotrophomonas and Paenibacillus) were determined which could be through cheese making processes.