Microbial and biochemical characterization of three artisan British cheeses throughout the maturation process

Longley, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4293-4698, Gibson, G. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0566-0476 and Wijeyesekera, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6151-5065 (2026) Microbial and biochemical characterization of three artisan British cheeses throughout the maturation process. ACS Food Science & Technology. ISSN 2692-1944 doi: 10.1021/acsfoodscitech.5c01243

Abstract/Summary

Cheese is a very popular fermented dairy product that has potential gut health benefits. To gain insight into possible mechanisms behind such effects, this study aimed to characterize three distinct types of British artisan cheeses and to assess microbial and biochemical changes throughout maturation up to the point of consumption. The three types of cheese used in this study were a soft bloomy-rind cheese, a semisoft washed-rind cheese, and a semihard cheese aged in hay. Cheese samples were collected at different stages of maturation and characterized microbially and biochemically using 16S amplicon sequencing and 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, respectively. Profound differences were found between the different types of cheese and between the same types of cheese at different stages of maturation in a way that shows physical progression as measured by their appearance and sensory characteristics. With these results, we can hypothesize the effects that their consumption might have.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://centaur.reading.ac.uk/id/eprint/129700
Identification Number/DOI	10.1021/acsfoodscitech.5c01243
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy > Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences > Food Microbial Sciences Research Group
Publisher	American Chemical Society
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