CHARACTERIZATION OF YEASTS AND MOLDS ISOLATED FROM TRADITIONAL BUTTER

 FAID M. TOURAIBI A. TANTAOUI-ELARAKI A and BRETON A

SUMMARY

Sixteen samples of traditional butter were studied for their yeasts and molds content. A pour plates procedure to evaluate the populations of yeasts was used. Molds were isolated in parallel. Representative isolates were identified and characterized to study their role in the transformation of traditional butter into smen (Moroccan fermented butter). Species of the genera Penicillium P.roquefortii) and Geotrichum (G.candidum) were found to be the most abundant molds. Candida  lipolytica, C.zeylanoides, Torulopsis. lactis condensi, Debaryomyces. hansenii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Kluyveromyces marxianus were the most frequent yeasts. Some yeast isolates secrete an exocellular lipase active on butterfat. All isolates of Geotrichum and most isolates of Penicillium were lipolytic.

Corresponding author: faidmohamed@yahoo.fr