Sheep and goat's dairy products from South America: Microbiota and its metabolic activity

The metabolic activity of microbiota of sheep and goat's dairy products in South America is discussed in this paper. This microbiota is mainly represented by lactic acid bacteria, belonging to the genera Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, Streptococcus and Enterococcus. Lactobacilli and enterococci are the predominant genera. These bacteria have enzymatic activities that allow them to produce aroma and flavour compounds from lactose, citrate, protein and lipid metabolism in cheese, as well as bioactive lipids (conjugated linoleic acid). Strains with adequate metabolic activities can be used as starter or adjunct cultures for the manufacture of cheeses with typical flavour and potential functional properties.