Microbiota and Cheese Quality

Cheese is a complex microbial ecosystem comprising microorganisms that are deliberately added to or enter the milk, curd, or cheese surface as contaminants. The cheese microbiota varies depending on factors such as geographic and climatic conditions, season, manufacturing processes, and the use of raw or pasteurized milk in cheese making. In order to control cheese ripening and quality, the first and most focused approach would lie in the selection of autochthonous microbial cultures, returning them to cheesemakers for the production of different cheese varieties. This choice would be of particular interest in production where the use of raw milk is restricted or where raw milk has undergone an improvement in its microbiological quality and a modification of its “traditional” microbiota. The use of selected adjunct microbial cultures may enhance the typicality and achieve greater differentiation of Protected Designation of Origin cheeses, bringing their appearance, texture, and flavour closer to those of traditional products.

In many cheese varieties, different species and strains of yeasts, surface bacteria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), and/or moulds can exhibit symbiotic effects that promote the development of organoleptic characteristics. Therefore, it seems essential to investigate the interactions in these complex ecosystems by using culture-independent methods. A range of molecular PCR-based techniques will undoubtedly aid in the appropriate selection of microbial cultures as well as in the monitoring of microbiota dynamics and their impact on cheese ripening and quality. Multi-omics approaches facilitate the more-accurate identification of the cheese “microbiome” and its contribution to the development of specific sensory properties. High-throughput sequencing technologies in conjunction with targeted metabolomics could be used to screen indigenous microorganisms that could have potential uses as starter or adjunct cultures in cheese production via “precision fermentation” processes (formerly referred to as “tailor-made” cultures). The association between volatile compounds (“volatilome”) and metagenomic clusters of the species represents a novel system for studying flavour development in cheese.

Finally, we must not forget the aspects concerning the microorganisms present in cheese with regard to their beneficial effects on consumer health. Cheese is generally considered a suitable carrier for probiotics into the human intestine. Numerous LAB strains with probiotic characteristics are used as starter cultures in cheese making. The use of probiotic microorganisms (LAB and bifidobacteria) to produce functional cheeses has also been reported in numerous studies.

Prof. Dr. Juan Antonio Centeno
Prof. Dr. Javier Carballo
Guest Editors

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• Cheese microbiology
• cheese ripening
• lactic acid bacteria
• adjunct cultures
• secondary microbiota
• cheese quality.