Brevibacterium linens - a useful enzyme producer for cheese: a review

Brevibacterium linens is present mainly on the surface of many sorts of sur face ripened cheeses. The organism exhibits a distinct rod (0.6-1.2 x 1.5-6 .0 mum) in young and coccus in older (3-7 days) cultures. B. linens is stri ctly aerobic, non motile, gram-positive and grows between 20 and 35 degrees C on a number of different media. B. linens produces red or orange-coloured pigments of aromatic carotenoide type which are not common in other bacter ia. This alcalophilic bacterium is able to produce methanethiol from L-meth ionine and tolerates a high NaCl concentration up to 15%. B. linens produce s antimicrobial substances which inhibit the growth of many Gram positive f ood poisoning bacteria as well as several yeasts and moulds. B. linens synt hesizes highly active and multiple proteolytic enzymes during its growth. E xtracellular proteinases of B. linens have alkaline pH optima and are capab le to hydrolyze both alpha (s1)- and beta -casein to a peptide of relativel y high molecular weight. In acceleration of cheese ripening process, it is possible to improve flavour and eliminate bitterness with the use of enzyme s from B. linens alone or in combination with commercially available enzyme s.