Omics-Based Insights into Flavor Development and Microbial Succession within Surface-Ripened Cheese

Area of Science:

• Food Microbiology
• Fermentation Science
• Metagenomics

Background:

• Surface-ripened cheeses rely on complex microbial interactions for flavor development.
• Understanding the dynamics of microbial communities is crucial for controlling cheese ripening.
• Previous studies often lacked detailed strain-level resolution of microbial populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the microbial communities on two types of surface-ripened cheese using different smear-culture mixes.
• To compare species and strain-level microbial composition between smear mixes and cheese surfaces.
• To correlate microbial populations with volatile compounds and metabolic potential during cheese ripening.

Main Methods:

• Whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing of smear-culture mixes and cheese surfaces.
• Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for volatile compound analysis.
• Correlation analysis to link specific microorganisms with flavor compounds.

Main Results:

• Distinct microbial communities developed on cheeses based on the initial smear mixes.
• Yeast species dominated early ripening, followed by bacteria like *Glutamicibacter arilaitensis* and *Brevibacterium linens*.
• *Debaryomyces hansenii*, *G. candidum*, *G. arilaitensis*, and *B. linens* were associated with specific volatile compounds (alcohols, acids, ketones, sulfur compounds).
• Metagenomic analysis revealed microbial potential for color, pH, and flavor modification.

Conclusions:

• Microbial succession and composition significantly impact surface-ripened cheese characteristics.
• Specific microorganisms play key roles in producing distinct flavor profiles.
• Metagenomic insights provide a basis for targeted starter culture development for fermented foods.