Identification of Microbiota Present on the Surface of Taleggio Cheese Using PCR–DGGE and RAPD–PCR

Abstract

Indigenous species and strains of bacteria identified by this study could be used for the selection of dairy cultures to be employed routinely by manufacturers to control the Taleggio cheese production. The new cultures may give the bases for driving dairy processes and, consequently, control the typical flavor resulting from metabolic actions of environmental microorganisms.

Cheese Rind Communities Provide Tractable Systems for In Situ and In Vitro Studies of Microbial Diversity

“…We also find that halotolerant γ-Proteobacteria such as Vibrio , Halomonas, and Pseudoalteromonas that are typically associated with marine environments (Holmström et al, 1999; Reen et al, 2006), are widespread in cheese communities (Figure 2). Previous studies identified these γ-Proteobacteria in individual cheeses (Bokulich et al, 2013; Mounier et al, 2009; Feligini et al, 2012; Quigley et al, 2012), but our large-scale survey demonstrates that they occur in cheeses made in all of the geographic regions where we sampled. One possible source of these marine microbes is the sea salt used in cheese production, as marine γ-Proteobacteria have been detected both in brine tanks of cheese production facilities (Bokulich et al, 2013) and in sea salt-producing areas in Korea (Na et al, 2011).…”

Identification of non-Listeria spp. bacterial isolates yielding a β-d-glucosidase-positive phenotype on Agar Listeria according to Ottaviani and Agosti (ALOA)

“…Kocuria spp. have been isolated from diverse environmental sources including foods such as milk (Callon et al, 2007), cheeses (El-Baradei et al, 2007;Feligini et al, 2012;Martín-Platero et al, 2008), fermented meats (Cocolin et al, 2001;Fontán et al, 2007), seafood (Guan et al, 2011) or dried dairy nutraceutical products (Hayes et al, 2012). The existence of psychrotrophic and thermoduric Kocuria isolates in milk and fermented milk products has also recently been reported (Hanamant and Bansilal, 2013;Lafarge et al, 2004;Mane and Gandhi, 2012).…”

Facility-Specific “House” Microbiome Drives Microbial Landscapes of Artisan Cheesemaking Plants

“…Subtle variations in these style-driven communities then could develop site-specific "house" microbiomes, possibly explaining the added diversity of cheese characteristics expressed within a given style of cheese and the unique idiosyncrasies observed in artisanal cheeses from different production facilities. House microbiota have been implicated in the production of many traditional cheeses (10,(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63), and regional, site-specific microbial patterns have been linked to the chemosensory properties of water buffalo mozzarella (64) and Pecorino Crotonese (65), suggesting that house microbiota may partially drive the sensory characteristics of cheeses from different facilities. Curd, curd processing; Mixed, mixed-use facility (facility B); Brine, brining surfaces; Bloomy, bloomy-rind aging space; Wash, washed-rind aging space (Fig.…”

“…In traditional cheesemaking facilities, adventitious microbes inhabiting such equipment surfaces can represent a "house" microbiota important for the development of specific cheese characteristics (14). However, all previous studies of cheese processing environments focused on selected, isolated equipment surfaces and all employed culture-based approaches (3-9, 13, 14) or low-throughput molecular tools (10)(11)(12), which possess limitations for the study of food fermentations (1,15), including throughput and sensitivity. More comprehensive facility monitoring is necessary to better establish the relationship between processing environment microbiota and cheese fermentations.…”

“…In modern cheese production facilities, biofilms of psychrotrophic bacteria (3,4) and nonstarter lactic acid bacteria (5)(6)(7)(8) can form on equipment surfaces, acting as a source of contamination in successive batches of cheese. Wooden processing surfaces, including aging boards (9,10) and milk vats (11)(12)(13), are also rich sources of microbes that are important for cheese acidification and ripening. In traditional cheesemaking facilities, adventitious microbes inhabiting such equipment surfaces can represent a "house" microbiota important for the development of specific cheese characteristics (14).…”