Abstract In the present study 16 enterococcal strains isolated from infant feces and/or Feta cheese were tested for their ability to metabolize in milk and resist specific conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, in order to finally select interesting strains for further studies, for their evaluation as dietary adjuncts. The strains were characterized by phenotypic criteria (API ID 32 STREP) and sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Whole-cell protein analysis by SDS-PAGE confirmed the taxonomic allocation of 14 strains suggested by phenotypic criteria as E. durans (4 strains), E. faecalis (3 strains), and E. faecium (7 strains). Two strains biochemically characterized as E. faecalis were assigned to other species by SDS-PAGE. All strains grew well in bile concentrations 0–1%. The strains were also able to withstand low pH (3.0) values for 4 h, eventhough for some strains a reduction by ∼1–2 log10 cfu/mL was observed. Most of the strains produced tyramine and all of them were susceptible to vancomycin. In addition, six out of seven E. faecium strains from either feces or cheese were β-haemolytic. The strains exhibited antagonistic activities towards enterococci, lactic acid bacteria, and Cl. sporogenes. A considerable phenotypic diversity was found among the test strains concerning their acidifying and proteolytic activities. Results of this study give useful information for the selection of appropriate strains with interesting probiotic and technological properties.