Microbiological characteristics of Greek traditional cheeses

Cheesemaking in Greece has a centuries-old tradition and ancient Greeks considered the cheese as a divine invention and gift. Numerous traditional cheeses are made throughout Greece today and twenty of them were recognized as PDO. As a total, Greek traditional cheeses are grouped, according to their technology of manufacture, as: cheeses in brine, soft cheeses, semi-hard cheeses, hard cheeses and whey cheeses. Their predominant microflora throughout ripening is consisted of NSLAB that proliferate and contribute by their biochemical activities to cheese ripening and the development of flavor characteristics. Microorganisms indicative of their hygienic quality, Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms, decline during ripening and are usually found at negligible levels in the mature products.