Potential probiotic and safety characterisation of enterococcus bacteria isolated from indigenous fermented motal cheese

Enterococcus spp. were isolated from Motal cheese (a traditional raw milk cheese in Iran) and some probiotic and safety properties were evaluated. Ten of the 52 isolated enterococci showed ideal survival rates under the simulated gastrointestinal tract and were therefore selected for further analysis. Based on the results, six out of ten tested isolates belonging to Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus hirae, Enterococcus avium and Enterococcus durans did not demonstrate the incidence of any major virulence factor, haemolytic activity or resistance to most of the antibiotics studied, especially vancomycin. Moreover, these six isolates inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, had adhesion ability to epithelial cells and showed high cholesterol assimilation and good auto-aggregation activities. The bottom line is that some naturally occurring Enterococcus strains isolated from Iranian Motal cheese have the potential to be used in functional food formulations due to their probiotic properties and safety.