Cheese rind microbial communities: diversity, composition and origin

Abstract

Cheese rinds host a specific microbiota composed of both prokaryotes (such as Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria) and eukaryotes (primarily yeasts and moulds). By combining modern molecular biology tools with conventional, culture-based techniques, it has now become possible to create a catalogue of the biodiversity that inhabits this special environment. Here, we review the microbial genera detected on the cheese surface and highlight the previously unsuspected importance of non-inoculated microflora--raising the question of the latter's environmental sources and their role in shaping microbial communities. There is now a clear need to revise the current view of the cheese rind ecosystem (i.e. that of a well-defined, perfectly controlled ecosystem). Inclusion of these new findings should enable us to better understand the cheese-making process.

Coliform detection in cheese is associated with specific cheese characteristics, but no association was found with pathogen detection

“…Hafnia alvei is a very common species in cheese and it was found to contribute to accumulation of volatile aroma compounds, while having no negative effect on safety from excessive accumulation of biogenic amines (Abriouel et al, 2008;Delbès-Paus et al, 2012;Irlinger et al, 2012a). Besides Hafnia and Serratia, other coliform genera identified in our study, such as Raoultella, Escherichia, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Kluyvera, and Klebsiella, were isolated from cheese in other studies (Chaves-López et al, 2006;Coton et al, 2012;Irlinger et al, 2015). The coliform genera that were identified in our study but not reported previously represent genera that were found in less than 5% of cheese samples.…”

The Host Microbiome Regulates and Maintains Human Health: A Primer and Perspective for Non-Microbiologists

“…The fungi include the Ascomycota ( Candida albicans ), Basidiomycota ( Cryptococcus neoformans ), Microsporida ( Encephalitozoon intestinalis ), Zygomycota ( Rhizopus microsporus ). As fungi are part of the environment and human alimentation, it may be difficult to differentiate between transient and commensal organisms without a longitudinal study, unless a disease or an opportunistic infection occurs (36,37). The Acanthocephala, most closely related to the rotifers, include Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus .…”

Cheese yeasts

“…hansenii , and Pichia sp. are among the more frequently occurring yeast species in raw milk (Boutrou & Gueguen, ; Büchl & Seiler, ; Buehler, Evanowski, Martin, Boor, & Wiedmann, ; Irlinger, Layec, Hélinck, & Dugat‐Bony, ). The same species have also been isolated from autochthonal whey and milk starters for cheese production (Binetti, Carrasco, Reinheimer, & Suarez, ).…”