Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales Cheese
Sixteen long-ripened, high-quality Cabrales cheeses from independent producers underwent a comprehensive biochemical and microbiological characterisation. Significant variations in total microbial counts and specific microbial groups were observed among the cheeses. A metataxonomic analysis identifi...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Javier Rodríguez Paula Rosa Suárez Souvik Das Lucía Vázquez Sonam Lama Ana Belén Flórez Jyoti Prakash Tamang Baltasar Mayo |
| author_facet | Javier Rodríguez Paula Rosa Suárez Souvik Das Lucía Vázquez Sonam Lama Ana Belén Flórez Jyoti Prakash Tamang Baltasar Mayo |
| author_sort | Javier Rodríguez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sixteen long-ripened, high-quality Cabrales cheeses from independent producers underwent a comprehensive biochemical and microbiological characterisation. Significant variations in total microbial counts and specific microbial groups were observed among the cheeses. A metataxonomic analysis identified 249 prokaryotic amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and 99 eukaryotic ASVs, respectively, which were classified into 52 prokaryotic and 43 eukaryotic species. The predominant species included bacteria of the genera <i>Tetragenococcus</i>, <i>Lactococcus</i> (of which <i>Lactococcus lactis</i> was used as a starter), and <i>Staphylococcus</i>, followed by <i>Brevibacterium</i> and <i>Corynebacterium</i> species. The starter mould <i>Penicillium roqueforti</i> was highly abundant in all cheeses; <i>Debaryomyces hansenii</i>, <i>Geotrichum candidum</i>, and <i>Kluyveromyces</i> spp. constituted the subdominant fungal populations. Glutamic acid (≈20 mg g<sup>−1</sup>) was the most abundant free amino acid in all samples, followed by lysine, leucine, and valine (≈10–13 mg g<sup>−1</sup>). Moderate-to-high amounts of the biogenic amines tyramine and ornithine were detected. A large variation between cheeses of the main organic acids (lactic, acetic, or butyric) was detected. Differences between samples were also observed for the majority volatile compounds, which included organic acids, alcohols, esters, and ketones. Positive and negative correlations between bacterial and fungal species were detected, as well as between microbial populations and key biochemical markers. Among the latter, <i>Tetragenococcus halophilus</i> correlated positively with ethyl caprylate and hexanoic acid, and <i>Loigolactobacillus rennini</i> correlated positively with γ-aminobutyric acid. Conversely, <i>Staphylococcus equorum</i> showed a strong negative correlation with ethyl caprylate and capric acid. These microbial and biochemical insights enabled us to propose a microbiota-based starter culture comprising prokaryotic and eukaryotic components to enhance Cabrales cheese quality. |
| format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj-art-d25a704911ec445fb2b41e3cc60a440f2025-08-20T03:17:07ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-07-011413236610.3390/foods14132366Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales CheeseJavier Rodríguez0Paula Rosa Suárez1Souvik Das2Lucía Vázquez3Sonam Lama4Ana Belén Flórez5Jyoti Prakash Tamang6Baltasar Mayo7Departamento de Microbiología y Bioquímica, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, SpainDepartamento de Microbiología y Bioquímica, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, SpainDepartment of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Sikkim University, Science Building, Dara Goan, Tadong, Gangtok 737102, IndiaDepartamento de Microbiología y Bioquímica, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, SpainDepartment of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Sikkim University, Science Building, Dara Goan, Tadong, Gangtok 737102, IndiaDepartamento de Microbiología y Bioquímica, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, SpainDepartment of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Sikkim University, Science Building, Dara Goan, Tadong, Gangtok 737102, IndiaDepartamento de Microbiología y Bioquímica, Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Francisco Pintado Fe, 26, 33011 Oviedo, SpainSixteen long-ripened, high-quality Cabrales cheeses from independent producers underwent a comprehensive biochemical and microbiological characterisation. Significant variations in total microbial counts and specific microbial groups were observed among the cheeses. A metataxonomic analysis identified 249 prokaryotic amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and 99 eukaryotic ASVs, respectively, which were classified into 52 prokaryotic and 43 eukaryotic species. The predominant species included bacteria of the genera <i>Tetragenococcus</i>, <i>Lactococcus</i> (of which <i>Lactococcus lactis</i> was used as a starter), and <i>Staphylococcus</i>, followed by <i>Brevibacterium</i> and <i>Corynebacterium</i> species. The starter mould <i>Penicillium roqueforti</i> was highly abundant in all cheeses; <i>Debaryomyces hansenii</i>, <i>Geotrichum candidum</i>, and <i>Kluyveromyces</i> spp. constituted the subdominant fungal populations. Glutamic acid (≈20 mg g<sup>−1</sup>) was the most abundant free amino acid in all samples, followed by lysine, leucine, and valine (≈10–13 mg g<sup>−1</sup>). Moderate-to-high amounts of the biogenic amines tyramine and ornithine were detected. A large variation between cheeses of the main organic acids (lactic, acetic, or butyric) was detected. Differences between samples were also observed for the majority volatile compounds, which included organic acids, alcohols, esters, and ketones. Positive and negative correlations between bacterial and fungal species were detected, as well as between microbial populations and key biochemical markers. Among the latter, <i>Tetragenococcus halophilus</i> correlated positively with ethyl caprylate and hexanoic acid, and <i>Loigolactobacillus rennini</i> correlated positively with γ-aminobutyric acid. Conversely, <i>Staphylococcus equorum</i> showed a strong negative correlation with ethyl caprylate and capric acid. These microbial and biochemical insights enabled us to propose a microbiota-based starter culture comprising prokaryotic and eukaryotic components to enhance Cabrales cheese quality.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/13/2366traditional cheesesCabrales cheesecheese microbiotacheese biochemistrystarterslactic acid bacteria |
| spellingShingle | Javier Rodríguez Paula Rosa Suárez Souvik Das Lucía Vázquez Sonam Lama Ana Belén Flórez Jyoti Prakash Tamang Baltasar Mayo Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales Cheese Foods traditional cheeses Cabrales cheese cheese microbiota cheese biochemistry starters lactic acid bacteria |
| title | Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales Cheese |
| title_full | Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales Cheese |
| title_fullStr | Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales Cheese |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales Cheese |
| title_short | Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales Cheese |
| title_sort | microbial and biochemical analyses of high quality long ripened blue veined cabrales cheese |
| topic | traditional cheeses Cabrales cheese cheese microbiota cheese biochemistry starters lactic acid bacteria |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/13/2366 |
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