Methods used to study non-starter microorganisms in cheese: a review

The significance of non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB), which become the dominant organisms in hard cheese varieties during ripening, is still c ontroversial, but they have been shown to contribute to the release of amin o acids and to influence flavour development. Since the NSLAB population is essentially uncontrolled, it is likely that at least some of the variabili ty in cheese quality is due to the NSLAB. Several approaches used to assess the significance of NSLAB in cheese ripening ave reviewed in this paper.