Microbiological characterization of Picante da Beira Baixa cheese

Ninety cheeses of the type Picante da Beira Baixa (a hard, highly salted, and spicy traditional cheese produced in Portugal from a mixture of goat's and ewe's milks) were manufactured and analyzed for microbiological quality at different stages of the 180-day ripening period. The most abundant species of Enterobacteriaceae, staphylococci, enterococci, lactobacilli, and yeasts found in the Picante cheese were Hafnia alvei and Serratia liquefaciens; Staphylococcus hominis and S. xylosus; Enteroccus faecium, E. faecalis, and E. durans; Lactobacillus plantarum and L. paracasei; and Debaryomyces hansenii and Yarrowia lipolytica.