Experimental cheeses were prepared in triplicate from pasteurized milk inoculated with Debaryomyces hansenii under aseptic conditions. Three cheesemaking replicates, with efficient control of environmental parameters (temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric composition) showed similar ripening characteristics. Deb. hansenii grew only on the cheese surface, where its oxygen demand was satisfied, especially during the first 24 h (mean generation time, 5·8 h). Salting in a sterile saturated brine solution reduced its growth and decreased viability. Growth was slower after 48 h because of the decrease in ripening temperature (mean generation time, 94 h). The total count of Deb. hansenii was maximum (≈3×107 yeasts/mm2) after 6 d ripening and its viable cell concentration was ≈2×106cfu/mm2. This difference was due to the ‘non-viability’ of part of the population. The viable Deb. hansenii concentration was highly correlated (r2>0·95) with the lactate concentration in the inner part and with the surface and inner lactose concentrations, up to day 10 of ripening. This emphasized the importance of the diffusion of carbon substrate from the inner part to the surface of the cheese during ripening. The pH of the inner part depended significantly on the lactate and lactose concentrations. Surface pH was significantly related to inner lactate concentration, temperature and relative humidity. This also demonstrated the controlling role of carbon source diffusion.

Various methods were used to study 42 Gram-positive cocci belonging to the family of Micrococcaceae and isolated from dairy products. Only a few strains could be identified using the ATB 32 biochemical micromethod rapid gallery system (API). All strains were subjected to conventional biochemical tests. The results were then analysed by a numerical method using the Sokal–Michener similarity coefficient. The 42 strains were distributed into 10 clusters at the Euclidean distance of 3·2. Most (75%) of the isolates were identified at the species level, but Micrococcus luteus could not be differentiated from Mc. lylae within the Micrococcus genus. An identification method based on the analysis of ribotype patterns was then applied to the isolates and these were compared with the patterns of collection strains. Cellular DNA was cleaved by the restriction enzymes SacI and KpnI and probed with the peroxidase-labelled 16S+23S rRNA of Escherichia coli. Ribotype patterns were analysed using a Dice coefficient and the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages, making dendrogram construction possible. Of the strains investigated, >84% were characterized to the species level. The remaining strains were found to belong to the Arthrobacter group or were atypical Micrococcus species. Of the isolates, 52% belonged to Micrococcus luteus, 17% were identified as Kocuria varians and 7% were assigned to the Brachybacterium genus.