WHO IS REALLY MAKING OUR CHEESE?
How the in-house cheese-cellar microbiome influences the cheese-ripening process
Bacteria and fungi play an essential role during cheese production and ripening. They serve as starter cultures for the milk acidification in the beginning of the production process and contribute to the development of characteristic cheese flavours during ripening. Cheese rind microbiota contribute to the specific flavour of the final product, especially in surface ripened cheese products. Each single cheese-ripening cellar harbours an individual community of microbes. Understanding the dynamics of the microbial community in a cellar and the way how these microbes develop and transfer to the cheese, allows to predict the character of the final product and influence the ripening process. In this project, we work together with Austrian dairies to study their specific in-house microbes and the role they play in the ripening process. We combine next generation sequencing methods with classical microbiological culturing to both describe the whole community and pick the dominant bacteria and fungi. The aim is to provide the dairies with data what microbes are crucial during their ripening process and give them a tool to positively influence the quality, safety, and sensory of their products.
Lead Researcher:
Mag. Viktoria Neubauer, PhD
FFoQSI Arealeader RED
Unit of Food Microbiology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
+43 1 25077-3504
www.vetmeduni.ac.at
