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The study was carried out on 110 bacterial isolates obtained from Baird-Parker agar plates (n = 47) and de Man, Rogosa, Sharpe agar plates with added sorbic acid (n = 63), which were analyzed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Among 47 non-staphylococcal Baird-Parker agar isolates, Macrococcus caseolyticuswas the most abundant (n = 37), followed by Enterococcus faecalis(n = 6). Corynebacterium aurimucosum, Corynebacterium glutamicum, Cronobacter sakazakii,and Enterococcus faeciumwere also identified. Among 63 non-Lactobacillusisolates, 18 isolates were identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides, 17 as Enterococcus faecalis, 14 as Lactococcus lactis, 5 as Enterococcus durans, 5 as Lactococcus garvieae, 2 as Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides,and 2 as Pediococcus pentosaceus. Enterococcus faecaliswas the only species obtained from both types of media. All isolates were successfully identified to the species level. According to the results of this study, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry proved to be useful tool for the identification of selected lactic acid bacteria and Baird-Parker agar isolates from artisanal cheeses.

Sjenica cheese is an artisanal cheese stored in brine, traditionally produced from raw sheep’s milk in the southern part of Serbia - Sjenica Pester plateau.