What is it about?

We produced experimental Roquefort-type cheeses using different populations of Penicillium roqueforti. Cheeses inoculated with strains from cheese-adapted populations developed more blue veins. These strains also promoted higher lipolysis and proteolysis, generating more appealing aromatic compounds. The population of P. roqueforti had little effect on bacterial diversity or the abundance of major microorganisms. Overall, cheeses made with Roquefort strains exhibited a distinctive aromatic profile.

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Why is it important?

Our study demonstrates that the origin of P. roqueforti strains strongly influences cheese appearance, aroma, and quality. Strains selected for cheesemaking produce bluer, more flavorful cheeses, likely reflecting domestication and human-driven selection for desirable traits. These findings enhance our understanding of P. roqueforti domestication and suggest strategies for strain improvement, targeting key traits such as aroma profiles and toxin management.

Perspectives

A sexual reproduction protocol has been developed for P. roqueforti, allowing crosses between the two cheese populations, which otherwise have low genetic diversity. This approach can generate variability and help identify high-performing strains. For breeding, parental strains with contrasting traits (e.g., volatile compound production, lipolysis, proteolysis) should be selected to maximize progeny diversity. Future research could investigate additional traits influenced by domestication, including mycotoxin production, to further optimize cheese quality and safety.

Thibault CARON
Stockholm University

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This page is a summary of: Strong effect of Penicillium roqueforti populations on volatile and metabolic compounds responsible for aromas, flavor and texture in blue cheeses, International Journal of Food Microbiology, September 2021, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109174.
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