Comparative analysis of the autolytic potential of Lactobacillus helveticus strains during Cheddar cheese ripening

Phenotypic tests and species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to confirm the classification of 41 isolates of Lactobacillus helveticus obtained from different sources. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) was applied to the differentiation of these isolates, which grouped into nine clusters at the 80% similarity level. To determine if the different clusters had different degrees of autolysis, a representative selection of 14 isolates from different clusters was selected and screened for autolytic characteristics in vitro and also in Cheddar cheesemaking trials. No correlation could be found between the cluster from which the isolate originated, the levels of autolysis in the cheese, or the results of the in vitro screening. It was concluded that cheese manufacture per se ZA the best method to determine the potential for and the degree of autolysis during cheesemaking for a given isolate.