Bacteria and yeasts associated to Colonial cheese production chain and assessment of their hydrolytic potential

Abstract

Abstract Different types of microorganisms are important in cheese-making because of the contributions their metabolism offers during the process. Few microorganisms present in Colonial cheese are known, in addition to the ones that are introduced to kick-start the processes or the ones that are associated with infections or poisonings. This study aimed to identify, by MALDI-TOF and/or DNA sequencing, the bacteria and yeasts isolated from samples collected in the main stages of Colonial cheese production, i.e., a type of cheese produced in the southern region of Brazil. The lytic capacity of these microorganisms at 5 °C and 30 °C was also evaluated. The 58 bacterial strains were distributed in 10 species among the genera Bacillus, Citrobacter, Klebsiella, Lactococcus, Paenibacillus, Staphylococcus and Raoutella. From the 13 yeasts strains analyzed, three species were identified as following: Candida pararugosa; Meyerozyma guilliermondii; and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. In three yeasts isolates it was possible to identify only the genus Candida sp. and Trichosporon sp. The species L. lactis (48%) and M. guilliermondii (46%) were, respectively, the predominant bacteria and yeasts species isolated. The highest microbial lytic activity observed was at 30 °C. Lipase activity on isolates was proportionally more observed with yeasts and proteolytic activity with bacteria. Lower caseinase and lipase activity was observed at 5 °C, demonstrating the importance of refrigeration in controlling microbial activity. This research highlighted the cultivation of some microorganisms that are part of the Colonial cheese microbiota as well as that several of them can hydrolyze various compounds present in milk and that could be associated with its maturation or, in uncontrolled circumstances, could be the cause of product deterioration.