Microbiome signatures associated with flavor development differentiate Protected Designation of origin water Buffalo Mozzarella cheese from different production areas

• Published in: Food research international Vol. 192; p. 114798
• Main Authors: Magliulo, Raffaele, Valentino, Vincenzo, Balivo, Andrea, Esposito, Alessia, Genovese, Alessandro, Ercolini, Danilo, De Filippis, Francesca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Canada Elsevier Ltd 01-09-2024
• Subjects: Animals; Buffaloes; Cheese - analysis; Cheese - microbiology; Cheese metagenome; Cheese microbiome; Cheese traceability; Cheese volatilome; Food Microbiology; Fraud protection; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Italy; Lactobacillus helveticus; Microbial terroir; Microbiome markers; Microbiota; PDO cheese; Protected Designation of Origin; Streptococcus thermophilus - classification; Taste; Volatile Organic Compounds - analysis; Italy; PDO cheese; Microbiome markers; Cheese metagenome; Fraud protection; Microbial terroir; Cheese traceability; Cheese microbiome; Cheese volatilome; Protected Designation of Origin
• ISSN: 0963-9969; 1873-7145; 1873-7145
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114798

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•Water Buffalo Mozzarella cheese from the two main production area was analysed.•Microbiome and volatilome discriminate the cheeses according to the production area.•The microbiome is part of the terroir, linking cheese to the production area.
Water Buffalo Mozzarella (BM) is a typical cheese from Southern Italy with unique flavor profile and texture. It is produced following a traditional back-slopping procedure and received the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label. To better understand the link between the production area, the microbiome composition and the flavor profile of the products, we performed a multiomic characterization of PDO BM collected from 57 different dairies located in the two main PDO production area, i.e. Caserta (n = 35) and Salerno (n = 22). Thus, we assessed the microbiome by high-throughput shotgun metagenomic sequencing and the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus helveticus, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. delbrueckii were identified as the core microbiome present in all samples. However, the microbiome taxonomic profiles resulted in a clustering of the samples based on their geographical origin, also showing that BM from Caserta had a greater microbial diversity. Consistently, Caserta and Salerno samples also showed different VOC profiles. These results suggest that the microbiome and its specific metabolic activity are part of the terroir that shape BM specific features, linking this traditional product with the area of production, thus opening new clues for improving traceability and fraud protection of traditional products.