Fermentation of skim milk by wild Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, isolated from Cameroonian traditional fermented zebu milk showed high solubilisation of calcium and magnesium, indicating an excellent bioavailability of these minerals. Combination of the bacteria strains, while performing a high level of mineral solubilisation, appears less efficient than individual strains. These results suggest that scientific and technological characterisation of the bacteria from traditional source is important, in order to determine their contribution to the quality of traditional fermented milk. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.