Biodiversidade Molecular da Microbiota de Produtos Lacteos Artesanais

Artisanal cheese made from unpasteurized milk, where no commercial starters are deliberately added and traditional manufacturing procedures are used (Randazzo et al., 2002; El-Baradei et al., 2007; Licitra et al., 2007; Terzic-Vidojevic et al., 2007), may possess a very heterogeneous and rich microbiota in terms of ‘natural starter’. Raw milk is known to harbor a complex microbial community, among which bacteria of technological relevance such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB). These microorganisms are the most important genera of bacteria involved in cheese manufacture and ripening and they are considered one of the main fundamental factors for the maintenance of the typical features of traditional cheese products (Serhan et al., 2009).