Multifactorial Microvariability of the Italian Raw Milk Cheese Microbiota and Implication for Current Regulatory Scheme
Federico Fontana, Giulia Longhi, Giulia Alessandri, Gabriele Andrea Lugli, Leonardo Mancabelli, Chiara Tarracchini, Alice Viappiani, Rosaria Anzalone, Marco Ventura, Francesca Turroni, Christian Milani
Abstract
The Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) guarantees the traceability of food production processes, and that the production takes place in a well-defined restricted geographical area. Nevertheless, the organoleptic qualities of the same dairy products, i.e., cheeses under the same PDO denomination, differ between manufacturers. The final product's flavor and qualitative aspects can be related to the resident microbial population, not considered by the PDO denomination. Here, we analyzed a complete set of different Italian cheeses produced from raw milk through shotgun sequencing in order to study the variability of the different microbial profiles resident in Italian PDO cheeses. Furthermore, an in-depth functional analysis, along with a comparative genomic analysis, was performed in order to correlate the taxonomic information with the organoleptic properties of the final product. This analysis made it possible to highlight how the PDO denomination should be revisited to understand the effect that Natural Whey Cultures (NWCs), used in the traditional production of raw milk cheese and unique to each manufacturer, impacts on the organoleptic features of the final product.