Yeast occurrence in Danish feta cheese

Abstract The yeast content in feta cheese from three different dairies was examined. Almost all samples contained yeasts in considerable numbers, 10 4 –10 6 cfu g −1 . A specific narrow yeast flora was found for each dairy. Torulaspora delbrueckii was the dominating species in feta from Dairy A. This strong-fermenting species was found to cause swelling of the cans. Debaryomyces hansenii , Candida sake and Kluyveromyces marxianus were dominant in samples from Dairy B. Candida butyri and Debaromyces hansenii were found in Dairy C. Yarrowia lipolytica was present in low numbers in cheese samples from all three dairies. Geotrichum candidum was also commonly found although in low concentrations. Yeast occurrence was due to recontamination. Yeasts were found in high concentrations in production areas.