Contribution of Lactococcus lactis subsp lactis IFPL 359 and Lactobacillus casei subsp casei IFPL 731 to the Proteolysis of Caprine Curd Slurries

ABSTRACT: Proteolysis was studied in low-fat caprine curd slurries pre-incubated (24 h at 30 °C) with an extra dose of rennet, 10.0 or 22.0 μg g^-1 (LR and HR slurries, respectively), and treated at 70 °C for 15 min prior to incubation with sonicated cells of Lactococcus lactis subsp lactis IFPL 359 alone or combined with Lactobacillus casei subsp casei IFPL 731. The addition of lactobacilli to slurries containing lactococci increased the conversion of water-soluble nitrogen to nonprotein nitrogen and amine nitrogen. Major differences were found for some free amino acids, such as glutamic acid and proline, and hydrolysis of most hydrophobic peptides produced by lactococci, which are associated with bitterness in cheese.