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S. Sixty samples of raw goat milk intended for Caprino cheese-making were collected from ten farms in the Bergamo area over a 6-month period. Analyses of main microbial groups, somatic cell count (SCC) and pH were performed to determine the effect of origin (farm) and lactation period (April -September) on microbial composition and the incidence of pathogens in milk. Overall mean values were : standard plate count (SPC), 5n0i10% cfu\ml ; yeasts, 2n5i10# cfu\ml ; coliforms, 9n1i10# cfu\ml ; Escherichia coli, 2n9 cells\ml ; enterococci, 1n1i10# cfu\ ml ; lactococci, 3n4i10$ cfu\ml ; lactobacilli, 3n0i10$ cfu\ml ; halotolerant bacteria, 8n2i10$ cfu\ml ; spores of mesophilic aerobic bacteria, 11 cfu\ml ; SSC, 9n9i 10& cells\ml ; pH, 6n63. Moulds and spores of sulphite-reducing clostridia were found intermittently. Neither Salmonella spp. nor Listeria monocytogenes was detected, while Esch. coli O157 : H7 was isolated from one milk sample (an incidence of 1n7%). Staphylococcus aureus was discovered at a level 10# cfu\ml in 26 samples (43 %) with an overall mean of 1n2i10$ cfu\ml, whereas coagulase-negative staphylococci were found in 54 samples (90 %) with an overall mean of 1n3i10$ cfu\ml. Of Staph. aureus strains, 23 % proved to be enterotoxinogenic with a prevalence of enterotoxin C producers. Staph. caprae was the coagulase-negative species most frequently isolated ; none of the coagulase-negative staphylococci strains synthesized any of the enterotoxins tested for.Sample source was the major factor affecting the microbial composition of goat milk : significant differences ( P 0n01) were observed among samples from different farms for SPC, coliforms, lactococci, lactobacilli and halotolerant bacteria. Period of lactation had a significant effect ( P 0n025) on SCC and pH. SPC correlated well with coliforms, lactococci and lactobacilli ; SSC did not reveal positive interactions with any microbial groups or pH.K : goat milk, microflora, pathogens.Manufacture of dairy products from milk of small ruminants presents an opportunity to improve the economics of breeding and cheese-making in remote areas such as mountainous regions. Safeguarding and promoting traditional goat products has become part of a policy directed towards the protection of the

Aims:  To characterize Lactococcus garvieae strains of dairy origin and to determine their technological properties and safety for their possible use in starter culture preparation. Methods and Results:  Forty‐seven L. garvieae isolates, recovered from two artisanal Italian cheeses were studied, in comparison with 12 fish isolates and the type strain of the species. Phenotypic typing revealed that the strains could be differentiated on the basis of their ecological niche of origin in lactose positive strains (all isolated from dairy sources) and lactose negative strains (all isolated from fish). Furthermore, the strains exhibited a high degree of physiological variability, showing the presence of 26 different biotypes. The strains possessed moderate acidifying and proteolytic activities and did not produce bacteriocins. A safety investigation revealed that all strains were sensitive to vancomycin and moderately resistant to kanamycin; some biotypes were tetracycline resistant. Production of biogenic amines or presence of genes encoding virulence determinants occurred in some isolates. Conclusions:  The prevalence of L. garvieae in some artisanal Italian cheeses can be linked to the typicity of the products. Although in a few cases an antimicrobial resistance or a presence of virulence determinants may imply a potential hygienic risk, most of the strains showed positive properties for their possible adjunction in a starter culture preparation, to preserve the natural bacterial population responsible for the typical sensorial characteristics of the traditional raw milk cheeses. Significance and Impact of the Study:  L. garvieae strains can be considered an important part of the microbial population associated with the natural fermentation of artisanal Italian cheeses. A deepened characterization of the strains may aid in understanding the functional and ecological significance of their presence in dairy products and in selecting new strains for the dairy industry.

Melatonin (MEL) has been found in some medicinal and food plants, including grapevine, a commodity of particular interest for the production of wine, a beverage of economic relevance. It has also been suggested that MEL in wine may, at least in part, contribute to the health-promoting properties attributed to this beverage and, possibly, to other traditional Mediterranean foodstuffs. After a preliminary screening of 9 yeast strains in laboratory medium, three selected strains (Saccharomyces cerevisiae EC1118, Torulaspora delbrueckii CBS1146(T) and Zygosaccharomyces bailii ATCC36947(T) ) were inoculated in experimental musts obtained from 2 white (Moscato and Chardonnay) and 2 red (Croatina and Merlot) grape varieties. The production of MEL, melatonin isomers (MIs) and tryptophan ethyl ester (TEE) was monitored during the alcoholic fermentation. The screening showed that the three investigated strains produced the highest concentrations of MEL and two MIs in optimal growth conditions. However, MEL and MIs were not produced in oenological conditions, but the three strains synthesized high concentrations of a new MI and TEE in musts.