Conventional quantification of L. helveticus, in presence of other lactobacilli species, using classical plate method employing low selective media is very inaccurate. Determination of L. helveticus using quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed in six artisanal Kazakh soft cheeses made from cow’s milk or from a mixture of cow’s and goat’s milk. L. helveticus was quantified by species-specific qPCR, monitoring the presence of genes encoding for peptidoglycan hydrolases. Quantification of L. helveticus based on qPCR ranged from 2.6×106 to 4.1×108 CFU·g−1 according to the type of the cheese. The microflora of cheese consisted of a mixture of starter and non-starter lactic acid bacteria.
ACHIELLOS, C., BERTHIERE, F. (2013): Quantitative PCR for the specific quantification of Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus paracasei and its interest for Lactococcus lactis in cheese samples. Food Microbiol., 36, 286–295.
ASHRAF, R., SHAH, N. (2011): Selective and differential enumerations of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium spp. in yoghurt –A review. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 149, 194–208.
BERESFORD, T., FITZMOL, N., BRENNAN, N., COGAN, T. (2001): Recent advances in cheese microbiology. Int. Dairy J., 11, 259–274.
FALENTIN, H., POSTOLLEC, F., PARAYRE, S., HENAFF, N., LE BIVIC, P., RICHOUX, R., THIERRY, A., SOHIER, D. (2010): Specific metabolic activity of ripening bacteria quantified by real-time reverse transcription PCR throughout Emmental cheese manufacture. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 144, 10–19.
FALENTIN, F., HENAFF, N., LE BIVIC, P., DEUTSCH, S.M., PARAYRE, S., RICHOUX, R., SOHIER, D., THIERRY, A., LORTAL, S., POSTOLLEC, F. (2012): Reverse transcription quantitative PCR revealed persistency of thermophilic lactic acid bacteria metabolic activity until the end of the ripening of Emmental cheese. Food Microbiol., 29, 132–140.
FORTINA, M.G., RICCI, G., MORA, D., PARINI, C., MANACHINI, P.L. (2001): Specific identification of Lactobacillus helveticus by PCR with pepC, pepN and htrAtarger primers. FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 198, 85–89.
FURET, J.P., QUÉNÉE, P., TAILLIEZ, P. (2004): Molecular quantification of lactic acid bacteria in fermented milk products using real-time quantitative PCR. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 97, 197–207.
GARCIA-CAYULE, T., TABASCO, R., PELAEY, C., REQUENA, T. (2009): Simultaneous detection and enumeration of viable lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria in fermented milk by using propidium monoazide and real-time PCR. Int. Dairy J., 19, 405–409.
ISO (2006): Milk, milk products and mesophilic starter cultures — Enumeration of citrate-fermenting lactic acid bacteria — Colony-count technique at 25 degrees C. ISO 17792, IDF, 2006, pp. 1–12.
JACQUIN, J., ARAGNO, M., ROSSI, P. (2001): Application of the bead beater technique to the extraction of bacterial DNA from cheese samples. Milchwissenschaft, 56, 563–565.
JEBAVA, I., CHUAT, V., LORTAL, S., VALENCE, F. (2014): Peptidoglycan hydrolases as species-specific markers to differentiate Lactobacillus helveticus from Lactobacillus gallinarum and other closely related homofermentative lactobacilli. Curr. Microbiol., 68, 551–557.
KARIMI, R., MORTAYAVIAN, A., AMIRI-RIGI, A. (2012): Selective enumeration of probiotic microorganisms in cheese. Food Microbiol., 29, 1–9.
LADERO, V., LINAREZ, D., FERNÁNDEZ, M., ALVAREZ, M. (2008): Real time quantitative PCR detection of histamineproducing lactic acid bacteria in cheese: Relation with histamine content. Food Res. Int., 41, 1015–1019.
LADERO, V., FERNÁNDEZ, M., CUESTA, I., ALVAREZ, M. (2010): Quantitative detection and identification of tyramineproducing enterococci and lactobacilli in cheese by multiplex qPCR. Food Microbiol., 27, 933–939.
LEE, C., KIM, J., SHIN, S., HWANG, S. (2006): Absolute and relative QPCR quantification of plasmid copy number in Escherichia coli. J. Biotechnol., 123, 273–280.
MARTINÉZ, N., MARTIN, M.C., HERRERO, A., FERNÁNDEZ, M., ALVAREZ, M.A., LADERO, V. (2011): qPCR as a powerful tool for microbial food spoilage quantification: Significance for food quality. Trends Food Sci. Tech., 22, 367–376.
NICKELS, C., LEESMENT, H. (1964): Methode zur Differenzierung und quantitative Bestimmung von Säureweckerbakterien. Milchwissenschaft, 19, 374–378.
PARAYRE, S., FALENTIN, H., MADEC, M.N., SIVIERI, K. & LE DIZES, A.S., SOHIER, D., LORTAL, S. (2007): Easy DNA extraction method and optimization of PCR-Temporal Temperature Gel Electrophoresis to identify the predominant high and low GC-content bacteria from dairy products. J. Microbiol. Meth., 69, 431–441.
POSTOLLEC, F., FALENTIN, H., PAVAN, S., COMBRISSON, J., SOHIER, D. (2011): Recent advances in quantitative PCR (qPCR) applications in food microbiology. Food Microbiol., 28, 848–861.
SADAT-MEKMENE, L.,GENAY, M., ATLAND, D., LORTAL, S., GAGNAIRE, V. (2011): Original features of cell-envelope proteinases of Lactobacillus helveticus. A review. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 146, 1–13.