Ninety cheeses of the type Picante da Beira Baixa (a hard, highly salt
ed, and spicy traditional cheese produced in Portugal from a mixture o
f goat's and ewe's milks) were manufactured and analyzed for microbiol
ogical quality at different stages of the 180-day ripening period. The
most abundant species of Enterobacteriaceae, staphylococci, enterococ
ci, lactobacilli, and yeasts found in the Picante cheese were Hafnia a
lvei and Serratia liquefaciens; Staphylococcus hominis and S. xylosus;
Enteroccus faecium, E. faecalis, and E. durans; Lactobacillus plantar
um and L. paracasei; and Debaryomyces hansenii and Yarrowia lipolytica
.