New enterococci isolated from cheese whey derived from different animal sources: High biotechnological potential as starter cultures

Abstract

Whey is one of the most important byproducts of dairy industries. The potential of lactic acid bacteria from cheese whey as starter cultures is unexplored. Thus, this study aims to isolate cheese whey lactic-acid bacteria (LAB) from cow, goat, and buffalo milk, and characterize their potential of providing different tastes and flavors for fermented beverages. We selected the most promising LAB for preparation of new fermented milks. Bacterial isolation resulted in 94 Gram-positive, catalase-negative, and acid-producer LAB isolates: 40 from cow, 37 from buffalo, and 17 from goat cheese whey. Non-metric MDS analysis showed that the pattern of technological characteristics of LAB from cow and buffalo cheese whey was similar. Based on these characteristics, we chose five LAB for preparation of fermented milks, as follows: BC1 (control) milk fermented with the commercial LAB (SLB95); BC2 (new LAB isolates) with Enterococcus sp. CW36, BW32, and GW33; and BC3 (new LAB isolates) with Enterococcus sp. CW36, GW34 and Lactococcus sp. BW27.74 untrained panelists participated in a sensory test. According to them, appearance, aroma, and flavor of the new fermented milk BC3 were better (p < 0.05). The results show that cheese whey can be a source of new LAB that can be used in dairy industry with a great potential as starter cultures.