Assessment of bacteriocin producing<i> Enterococcus</i><i> faecium</i> HZ as adjunct culture to improve the aroma formation and antimicrobial activity in white-brined cheese

Cultures used in dairy products make it possible to obtain standard industrial products. However, they all provide a uniform taste and aroma. Generally, non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) isolated from raw-milk or artisanal cheeses offer varied sensory characteristics when integrated in cheese provided that biosafety criteria are met. Enterococcus faecium HZ was previously isolated from traditional Turkish cheese and determined to have strong antibacterial activity as well as no gelatinase and hemolysis activities. In this study, this strain was used as adjunct culture in white-brined cheese to improve the physicochemical, textural, and aromatic properties, as well as antimicrobial activity. Cheeses with E. faecium HZ had a higher sensory score, which could be due to the aroma-active compounds produced by this strain. The incor-poration of E. faecium HZ also improved the microbial quality of cheeses and showed an inhibitory effect via a stable enterocin production on indicator microorganisms.