ISOLATED MICROFLORA

Typical Microflora Isolated from Kefir Grains 

Divided into Four Genus groups :

           

I.	LACTOBACILLI
1.    Lb. acidophilus
2.    Lb. brevis
3.    Lb. casei
4.    Lb. casei subsp. Rhamnosus
5.    Lb. casei subsp. Pseudoplantarum
6.    Lb. paracasei subsp. Paracasei
7.    Lb. cellobiosus
8.    Lb. delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus
9.    Lb. delbrueckii subsp. Lactis
10.  Lb. fructivorans
11.  Lb. helveticus subsp. Lactis
12.  Lb. hilgardii
13.  Lb. kefiri
14.  Lb. kefiranofaciens
15.  Lb. kefirgranum sp. nov *
16.  Lb. parakefir sp. nov *
17.  Lb. lactis
18.  Lb. plantarum

   

II.	STREPTOCOCCI/LACTOCOCCI
1.    Lactococci lactis subsp. Lactis
2.    Lc. lactis var. diacetylactis
3.    Lc. lactis subsp. cremoris
4.    Streptococci salivarius subsp. thermophilus
5.    S. lactis
6.    Enterococcus durans
7.    Leuconostoc cremoris
8.    Leuc. mesenteroides

III.		YEASTS
	1.       Candida kefir
	2.       C. pseudotropicalis
	3.       C. rancens
	4.       C. tenuis
	5.       Kluyveromyces lactis
	6.       Kluyveromyces marxianus var. marxianus
	7.       K. bulgaricus
	8.       K. fragilis / marxianus
	9.       Saccharomyces subsp. Torulopsis holmii
	10.   Saccharomyces lactis
	11.   S. carlsbergensis
	12.   S. unisporus
	13.   Debaryomyces hansenii **
	14.   Zygosaccharomyces rouxii **

IV.		ACETOBACTER
	1.       Acetobacter aceti
	2.       A. rasens

Units Count of Microbes in Gram Stained Kefir Grains
Bacilli [single cells, pair, chains]
Streptococci [pair, chains]
Yeast [single cells] 

The Means Range
Bacilli 66, 62-69%
Streptococci 16, 11-12%
Yeast 18, 16-20% [10]

Reference:

Encyclopaedia of Food Science, Food Technology, and Nutrition [1993] [pp. 1804-1808] Edited by R. Macrae, R.K. Robinson, M.J. Sadler

* International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 44 (3) 435-439 [1994]

** T. Loretana, J.F Mosterta and B.C. Viljoen [2003] Microbial flora associated with South African household kefir. S. Afr. J. Sci. Vol. 99 No. 1/2

List of Bacterial Names with Standing in Nomenclature - Genus Lactobacillus 

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