Isolation, identification and characterisation of the dominant microorganisms of kule naoto: the Maasai traditional fermented milk in Kenya.

From 22 samples of kule naoto, the traditional fermented milk products of the Maasai in Kenya, 300 lactic acid bacterial strains were isolated and phenotypically characterised by their ability to ferment different carbohydrates and by additional biochemical tests. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), especially the genus Lactobacillus, followed by Enterococcus, Lactococcus and Leuconostoc, dominated the microflora of these samples. The major Lactobacillus species was Lactobacillus plantarum (60%), with a lower frequency of isolation for Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Most strains produced enzymes such as beta-galactosidase and peptidases, which are of relevance to cultured dairy product processing, and exhibited similar patterns of enzymatic activity between species. Enterobacteriaceae could not be detected in 15 out of 22 samples (detection level 10(2)/ml). Conversely, yeasts (detection level 10(1)/ml) were detected in those samples in which Enterobacteriaceae were not found. The pH values of all these samples were < 4.5.