Amplicon sequencing reveals the bacterial diversity in milk, dairy premises and Serra da Canastra artisanal cheeses produced by three different farms

• Published in: Food microbiology 2020-08, Vol.89, p.103453-103453, Article 103453
• Main Authors: Kamimura, Bruna A., Cabral, Lucélia, Noronha, Melline F., Baptista, Rafaela C., Nascimento, Henry M., Sant’Ana, Anderson S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dairy foods; Lactic acid bacteria; Local foods; Microbial diversity; Microbiome; Microbiota
• ISSN: 0740-0020; 1095-9998
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2020.103453

In this work, the amplicon sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene was employed to investigate the bacterial diversity in ingredients, processing environment, and ripened cheeses collected from three farms producing Serra da Canastra artisanal cheese. The data obtained indicated a remarkable variability in the bacteria consortia of the milk, whey, and environmental samples collected in farms 1, 2, and 3, despite their location in the same city. On the other hand, the starter culture and final product (ripened cheese) presented more constant and similar microbiota no matter the farm. The findings suggest that Streptococcus and Lactococcus have competitive advantages throughout Serra da Canastra cheese-making/ripening, which is crucial for their high relative abundance in the final products. An exploratory assessment based on sequencing data available in the literature showed that the Serra da Canastra cheeses sequences clustered with specific cheese varieties that are also made from raw milk but ripened for very different periods. The findings of this study highlight that despite the variability of milk and whey microbiota among the three farms, the starter culture (“pingo”) has strong relevance in shaping the microbiota of the final product. [Display omitted] •Bacterial diversity through three Serra da Canastra cheese (SCC) farms revealed.•The microbiota was studied from milk to ripened cheese and the dairy environment.•Microbiota present in the milk used for SCC-making varied among the three farms.•Starter culture (“pingo”) is key in shaping the microbiota of SCC.•Streptococcus and Lactococcus prevailed in SCC microbiota no matter the farm size.