ABSTRACT
The technological and safety properties of 35 indigenous strains of Enterococcus faecium isolated from two Egyptian cheeses were characterised in order to determine their ability for rational manufacture of diversified and typical dairy products in the Middle East. A great diversity was observed within the 35 strains on the basis of their technological properties. A statistical analysis made it possible to distribute the 35 strains of E. faecium into different groups. Three groups were identified in terms of their acidification activity, measured by the Cinac system: a group of strains that quickly acidified milk, a second that moderately acidified milk, and a last cluster that revealed weak acidification activity. On the basis of texturing properties that were evaluated using a texturometer and a viscometer, a cluster of strains produced viscous and firm gels, a second cluster included fairly viscous, firm and cohesive gels, and a last group generated slightly viscous, but firm and very cohesive gels. By considering the aroma profiles that were determined by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, four clusters were identified. One cluster displayed a high dimethyl disulfide level, a second group of strains was highly aromatic, a third cluster led to typical "lactic" products, and the last cluster made it possible to obtain low aromatic products. None of the 35 strains proved to be ß-haemolytic on the basis of the characterisation of their safety properties. The resistance to 20 antibiotics was assessed by the disc diffusion method. The 35 isolates were sensitive to 12 antibiotics, and among them, one isolate was resistant to only two antibiotics (nalixidic acid and streptomycin). The resistance to eight antibiotics was strain-dependant. Finally, this study demonstrates that some indigenous strains of E. faecium displayed interesting technological properties for cheese manufacture, together with good safety characteristics. They could be useful for the manufacture of typical products in Egypt.
