Abstract:
Through the Algerian territory, several types of cheese are made from the transformation of
goat’s, cow’s or sheep’s raw milk using traditional ways. Among the traditional dairy preparations
the "Kemria" cheese has long been known in the southern part of the country precisely in the
regions of Ghardaïa. The study was interested in studying this type of cheese starting with physico-
chemical and then microbiological analysis. Eight samples of Kemaria cheese were studied; they
were collected from different localities in Ghardaïa province. Physico-chemical analyses showed
that our Kemaria is characterized by a dry extract level of about 47.6% of which 14.7% fat, a mild
pH and low acidity, These results allowed to classify kemaria cheese as a fresh cheese half-soft and
semi-fat. Microbiological quality of Kemaria was generally acceptable and in accordance with the
stated standards of Algerian legislation, however, a total absence of Staphylococcus and Salmonella
was noted, nevertheless, contamination is noted by the presence of E. coli in 3 samples, but with a
low amount. Isolation and characterisation of lactic bacteria showed 15 obtained strains from 3
genera, distributed as 40% En. faecium, 33% of L. lactis and 27% belonging to Ln. mesenteroïdes.
After the study of proteolytic activity, it was possible to reconstruct that most strains have good
protein activity, while none of these strains have lipolytic activity. All three species were tested for
their antagonistic effect against E. coli ATCC 25922, S. aureus ATCC 25923 and Salmonella sp.,
where, the interaction of our lactic strains and pathogenic bacteria yielded positive results for all
strains.
