Short communication: Carnobacterium maltaromaticum: the only Carnobacterium species in French ripened soft cheeses as revealed by polymerase chain reaction detection.

The PCR technique using Cb1-Cb2R and species-specific primers was applied to various French soft flowered or washed rind cheeses to identify Carnobacterium species. Thirty cheeses made from cow's, ewe's, or goat's milk (raw or pasteurized), of which 20 were Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, were analyzed in the autumn and spring. The results revealed that, irrespective of the season, the Carnobacterium genus was initially detected in 5 cheeses and was detected in 5 others after an enrichment period. Polymerase chain reaction results using species-specific primers of Carnobacterium showed that these 10 cheeses contained only the species Carnobacterium maltaromaticum. Six different patterns of fermentation were found, and 3 of the 10 cheeses contained C. maltaromaticum isolates with anti-Listeria activity.