Abstract: Microflora analysis of Tibetan kefir strain TK3 from Henan was conducted in this paper. The microstructure was observed under a scanning electron microscope. The strain TK3 was composed of Lactobacillus and yeast, and attached to the matrix. Physiological and biochemical tests, and partial 16S rDNA (bacteria) and 26S rDNA (yeast) sequence identification revealed that the dominant microbial species in TK3 were Leuconostoc lactis, Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Kazachstania unispora, Kluyveromyces marxianus, and Kazachstania exigua, which presented in fermented milk in the order of magnitude of 107, 107, 107, 106, 106 CFU/mL and 107 CFU/mL, respectively. Moreover, the numbers of these microbial species remained stable after 7 days of storage at 4 ℃.

Key words: Tibetan kefir, microflora analysis, scanning electron microscope