Genetic Diversity of Leuconostoc mesenteroides Isolates from Traditional Montenegrin Brine Cheese

Abstract

In many dairy products, Leuconostoc spp. is a natural part of non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) accounting for flavor development. However, data on the genomic diversity of Leuconostoc spp. isolates obtained from cheese are still scarce. The focus of this study was the genomic characterization of Leuconostoc spp. obtained from different traditional Montenegrin brine cheeses with the aim to explore their diversity and provide genetic information as a basis for the selection of strains for future cheese production. In 2019, sixteen Leuconostoc spp. isolates were obtained from white brine cheeses from nine different producers located in three municipalities in the northern region of Montenegro. All isolates were identified as Ln. mesenteroides. Classical multilocus sequence tying (MLST) and core genome (cg) MLST revealed a high diversity of the Montenegrin Ln. mesenteroides cheese isolates. All isolates carried genes of the bacteriocin biosynthetic gene clusters, eight out of 16 strains carried the citCDEFG operon, 14 carried butA, and all 16 isolates carried alsS and ilv, genes involved in forming important aromas and flavor compounds. Safety evaluation indicated that isolates carried no pathogenic factors and no virulence factors. In conclusion, Ln. mesenteroides isolates from Montenegrin traditional cheeses displayed a high genetic diversity and were unrelated to strains deposited in GenBank.

Assessment of the Spoilage Microbiota during Refrigerated (4 °C) Vacuum-Packed Storage of Fresh Greek Anthotyros Whey Cheese without or with a Crude Enterocin A-B-P-Containing Extract

“…isolates from naturally or industrially fermented cheeses and other dairy products belong to the species L. mesenteroides [ 44 ]. However, a high phenotypic and genotypic diversity exists within dairy-associated wild L. mesenteroides strains that makes it difficult to discriminate them at the subspecies level [ 44 , 45 , 52 , 53 ]. Actually, the 16S rRNA sequencing analysis is insufficient for the differentiation of L. mesenteroides subsp.…”

Antilisterial activity of raw sheep milk from two native Epirus breeds: Culture-dependent identification, bacteriocin gene detection and primary safety evaluation of the antagonistic LAB biota

“…The other three Ln. mesenteroides subspecies, mesenteroides, dextranimum and cremoris, occur commonly in raw milk and traditional cheeses, most often at subdominant levels to other LAB ( Hemme and Foucaud-Scheunemann, 2004 ; Quigley et al., 2013 ; Ruppitsch et al., 2021 ). Generally, they metabolize lactose and citrate and thereby are beneficial, gas- and flavor-forming non-starter LAB (NSLAB), often included in natural undefined mesophilic starters ( Frantzen et al., 2017 ), while Ln.…”

Investigation of the Microbiome of Industrial PDO Sfela Cheese and Its Artisanal Variants Using 16S rDNA Amplicon Sequencing and Shotgun Metagenomics

“…Leu. mesenteroides has been previously identified in the traditional Montenegrin brine cheese [56] and in Feta cheese through shotgun metagenomics analysis [35]. W. jogaejeotgali, initially found in traditionally fermented Korean jogae jeotgal [57], exhibits resistance to osmotic stress and tolerance to acidic conditions.…”