The assessment of the microbiological quality of golka – a smoked regional cheeses produced from unpasteurized mixed milk (sheep and cow) in the Carpathian Mountains region as well as a primary identification of LAB derived from these products were the main objectives of this study. The counts of aerobic bacteria, LAB, S. aureus, yeasts and molds was determined. The presence of Salmonella and Listeria was also investigated. The cell counts of microorganisms was determined using standard plating techniques, and the presence of selected indicator strains was established using the ELFA method. The qualitative analysis of the LAB population was performed using PCR-based analysis of metagenomic DNA isolated from natural golka microbiota. Dominating LAB species were further identified using PCR-RFLP and 16S rRNA sequencing. The results of the performed studies have revealed, that the cell counts of microorganisms inhabiting golka cheeses was similar regardless the fact, that the samples were provided by different suppliers. The population of acidophilic LAB was the most abundant, reaching the level of 6.9x10⁹ cfu٠g^-1. Salmonella, Listeria, enterotoxic S. aureus strains and molds were not detected in the analyzed cheese samples. Nevertheless, all golka samples showed presence of yeasts ranging from 1.2x10⁶ to 1.6x10⁷ cfu٠g^-1. LAB from the genera Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc were detected in all samples. Lb. casei strains were dominant among 166 tested isolates..

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