Characterization of Micrococcaceae isolated from salt used for Spanish dry‐cured ham

The microbial flora of salt used in the production of Spanish dry‐cured ham was studied. The results indicated that Micrococcaceae constituted the predominant flora. Identification of the 369 isolates belonging to the family Micrococcaceae revealed that 60% belonged to genus Staphylococcus, 25% to Micrococcus, 6% to Kocuria, 5·4% to Dermacoccus and 0·5% to Stomatococcus. The species most often isolated was Staph. xylosus (28·9%), followed by M. lylae (21·4%), Staph. equorum (18·55%) and D. nishinomiyaensis (5·4%). The results indicate that the salt during salting process of dry‐cured hams offers an ecosystem suitable for the survival of the staphylococci and micrococci.