Cheese could be healthier in the future now that microbiologists in Brazil have discovered three novel strains of probiotic bacteria in samples of traditional cheeses.
Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when eaten in food, may remain in the gut. People who have lots of—and lots of different types of—probiotic bacteria and yeasts in their gut are thought to have healthy microbiomes, i.e., microbial communities.
A healthy gut microbiome is associated with good mental health, a robust immune system, regular bowel movements and a lowered risk of many diseases and chronic conditions.
Many so-called health foods are probiotic, including kombucha, miso, sauerkraut, kefir, Greek yogurt and other fermented or pickled foods.
Scientists at the Food Technology Institute of the São Paulo Department of Agriculture and Supply have found three strains of bacteria in traditional Brazilian cheeses, including Prato and Minas.
They isolated and analyzed the bacteria, which belonged to the lactobacillus bacterial family—a group of bacterial strains widely used in probiotic foods.
Food scientist Cristian Mauricio Barreto Pinilla, the first author of the study, said in a statement that these three strains were selected because they were believed "to have the best fermentative, enzymatic and sensory properties," according to previous research conducted at the Food Technology Institute.
"We analyzed this information, focusing on the technological properties of the isolates, with a view to producing pilot batches of Prato cheese containing each of the three strains," Barreto said.
He explained that the scientists then studied how the cheeses changed over 45 days of ripening: how the bacterial communities changed, how the aroma and flavor developed, and so on.
They found that none of the three strains significantly affected the composition of the cheese, in terms of fatty acid and protein profiles.
After testing, the bacteria were confirmed to be safe for human consumption and probiotic. Furthermore, the bacteria seemed to inhibit the growth of disease-promoting microorganisms—but Barreto said the team would have to investigate this further.
"We also observed a drop in levels of undesirable volatile compounds during longer maturation periods for cheeses containing the cultures, but each strain produced a different profile in this regard," said Barreto, adding that this was important for a diversity of flavors and would ensure the cheese remained high quality over the course of a long shelf life, after it was matured for more than 25 days.
"This kind of microorganism is easy to produce industrially," Barreto continued. "Research along these lines is relevant to the needs of the cheese industry, which has significant growth potential but is cramped by the limited market for probiotics, dominated by large multinational companies."
Barreto said that, while large companies had the microbial culture technology to supply probiotics to Brazil, smaller companies would benefit from being able to produce these probiotics themselves so their traditional products could compete on the market.
He said these novel bacteria strains seemed to be suitable for use in cheese production, to enhance the sensory diversity and microbiological quality of the products and to benefit the health of consumers.
However, more research is required before they can be used commercially.
Do you have a tip on a food story that Newsweek should be covering? Is there a nutrition concern that's worrying you? Let us know via science@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
Reference
Barreto Pinilla, C. M., Brandelli, A., Ataíde Isaia, H., Guzman, F., Sundfeld da Gama, M. A., Spadoti, L. M. & Torres Silva e Alves, A. (2024). Probiotic Potential and Application of Indigenous Non-Starter Lactic Acid Bacteria in Ripened Short-Aged Cheese. Current Microbiology, 81(7), 202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-024-03729-2
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
