title: Metatranscriptomics reveals temperature-driven functional changes in microbiome impacting cheese maturation rate.
abstract: Traditional cheeses harbour complex microbial consortia that play an important role in shaping typical sensorial properties. However, the microbial metabolism is considered difficult to control. Microbial community succession and the related gene expression were analysed during ripening of a traditional Italian cheese, identifying parameters that could be modified to accelerate ripening. Afterwards, we modulated ripening conditions and observed consistent changes in microbial community structure and function. We provide concrete evidence of the essential contribution of non-starter lactic acid bacteria in ripening-related activities. An increase in the ripening temperature promoted the expression of genes related to proteolysis, lipolysis and amino acid/lipid catabolism and significantly increases the cheese maturation rate. Moreover, temperature-promoted microbial metabolisms were consistent with the metabolomic profiles of proteins and volatile organic compounds in the cheese. The results clearly indicate how processing-driven microbiome responses can be modulated in order to optimize production efficiency and product quality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Filippis
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Genovese
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferranti
authors.affiliation: Biosciences Division (BIO), Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA.|Departmen of Ecology &Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.|Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.|Institute for Genomic and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.|The Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Jack A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy.
authors.forename: Danilo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ercolini
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis / Q000382:microbiology*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D005516:Food Microbiology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D064307:Microbiota; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D019289:Pyruvic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D052617:Solid Phase Microextraction; D013696:Temperature; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D005227:Fatty Acids; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D019289:Pyruvic Acid