Characterization and identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional cheese (Klila) prepared from cows milk

Various types of fermented dairy products exist worldwide. Their nature depends on the type of milk used, pretreatment, fermentation conditions and subsequent treatment. The fermentation of milk primarily involves lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Among these, the Klila is a hard variety cheese made by using the traditional procedures in the home, without using a starter culture. The different samples of traditional cheese (Klila) studied were collected from the rural area of the province of Djelfa. Isolates were phenotypically characterized by their capability to ferment different carbohydrates and additional biochemical tests. 132 lactic acid bacterial strains were isolated, purified and identified to all belong to the genus, Lactobacillus, their proportion were Lactobacillus plantarum (18.94%), Lactobacillus casei (18.18%), Lactobacillus fermentum (21.97%), Lactobacillus acidophilus (12.88%), Lactobacillus brevis (14.39%), Lactobacillus alimentarus (03.03%), Lactobacillus intestinalis (06.06%) and Lactobacillus helveticus (04.56%). These lactic acid bacteria were isolated against Staphylococcus aureus. Isolates L. fermentum, L. intestinalis and L. acidophilus were selected for their strong bactericidal activity against S. aureus. Key words: Klila, lactic acid bacteria, identification, characteristics, Lactobacillus, Staphylococcus aureus.