Fungal Community and Physicochemical Profiles of Ripened Cheeses

Abstract Ripened cheeses are traditionally produced and consumed worldwide. Canastra’s Minas artisanal cheese (QMA) is a protected geographical indication (PGI) traditional ripened cheeses. The influence of fungi on the cheese ripening process is of great importance. This study aimed to apply culture-dependent and -independent methods to determine the mycobiota of QMA produced in the Canastra region, as well as to determine its physicochemical characteristics. Samples from different producers were collected in the cities of São Roque de Minas and Piumhi (MG). Illumina-based amplicon sequencing, and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight - (MALDI-TOF) Mass Spectrometry (MS) methods were used. The physicochemical analysis showed that the QMA had a moisture content between 18.24% and 21%, fat content between 20.5% and 40%, sodium chloride percentage around 0.9%, and pH of 5.5 to 5.3. The population of fungi ranged between 6.3 and 8 log CFU/g. Fusarium sp., Geotrichum candidum, Paecilomyces sp., Trichosporon coremiiforme, Candida catenulata, Aspergillus sp., Trichosporon japonicum, A. oryzae, Kluyveromyces, Torulaspora, and Debaryomyces were the most prevalent fungi. A. ochraceus potentially mycotoxin-producing was detected. Promising species that can contribute to the product quality were identified as Geotrichum candidum and Candida catenulate. However, future studies should evaluate the ability of A. ochraceus to produce mycotoxin in cheese, as well as control the growth of certain species of fungi during ripening, resulting in a safe and high quality product.