Assessment of the antagonistic potential and ability of biofilm formation of Enterococcus spp. isolated from Serbian cheese

Sa？etak In this paper, the presence, biochemical and physiological characteristics of the members of genus Enterococcus, isolated from traditionally made Serbian cheese, were investigated. The members were identified as: Enterococcus faecium (8 isolates), E. faecalis (14 isolates), E. hirae (4 isolates) and E. durans (4 isolates), using the biochemical tests and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. All the tested isolates showed good acidification ability in pure and enriched milk. The antagonism of enterococci on the growth of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 12453, Klebsiella oxytoca KGPMF1, Klebsiella ornithinolytica KGPMF8 and Aeromonas hydrophila, as well as their ability to form biofilms, were examined. The tested isolates showed moderate inhibitory activity (10-22 mm) on the growth of the indicator strains. Among all the isolates, only E. hirae KGPMF9 and E. faecium KGPMF14 showed the ability of biofilm formation. The results provide a basis for further research into the possible practical application of the isolated enterococci