Relationships between the presence of nonstarter bacteria and flavor characteristics in soft-type ripened cheeses

Abstract

Cheese is a traditional fermented dairy food, with more than 1,000 varieties of distinctive flavor. It is considered that the flavor in cheese is produced by the microorganisms (nonstarter microorganisms), which spontaneously settle into cheeses and grow during the manufacturing process. However, the role of some microorganisms in flavor development is still unclear due to the complexity of cheese microbial consortia. This review summarizes our recent studies on the relationships between microorganisms and components in soft-type ripened cheeses revealed by multiomics approach that combined metagenomics and metabolomics. Furthermore, we discuss the effectiveness of the multiomics approach and flavor-forming capabilities of nonstarter bacteria.