DNA fingerprinting techniques uncover cheese microbes Most people connect DNA fingerprinting with humans, but an international team of researchers has successfully used DNA fingerprinting techniques to identify microbes on a 'smear-ripened' cheese. Led by Newcastle University in the UK, the researchers detected and identified eig... Most people connect DNA fingerprinting with humans, but an international team of researchers has successfully used DNA fingerprinting techniques to identify microbes on a 'smear-ripened' cheese. Led by Newcastle University in the UK, the researchers detected and identified eight microbes on the French cheese Reblochon. The findings were recently published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. The researchers said the new type of bacteria they discovered adds flavour to a veritable smorgasbord of well-known cheeses, including Reblochon, Livarot, Limburger and Gubbeen. The newly discovered microbes were given the name Mycetocola reblochoni, after the cheese in which they were discovered. 'What our research actually showed was that this new group of bacteria - the reblochoni - were responsible for the ripening process, influencing the taste, texture and smell of the cheese,' remarked project leader Professor Michael Goodfellow of Newcastle University. 'It has always been thought the bacteria cheese makers were putting in at the start of the process gave Reblochon its distinctive flavour.' According to Professor Goodfellow, the research showed that the Mycetocola reblochoni effectively triggered the ripening process of the cheese. The researchers conducted a series of innovative molecular tests on samples from three farmhouses to classify the bacteria. Reblochon, a French cheese from the Alpine region of Savoy, is a member of the 'smear-ripened' family, as producers of this Brie-like cheese wash its surface with a salt solution containing bacteria in order to ripen it from the outside in. Producers in the past exposed the smear-ripened cheeses to a starter culture containing the microbe Brevibacterium linens to develop the cheese. The new bacterial strains discovered by the international research team are active in the later stage of ripening. The end result is that the reblochoni out-compete the Brevibacterium and inject the cheese with flavour. The next step in this research is to determine the use of these new microbes. Professor Goodfellow said, 'Bacteria gets a bad name because they are associated with causing disease but many are extremely beneficial and our reblochoni group may well prove to have important uses.' The newly-discovered microbes are part of the Actinomycetes group of bacteria. It should be noted that several Actinomycetes are used to produce antibiotics for the treatment of diseases like tuberculosis. Also participating in the research study were Ghent University (Belgium), DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures (Germany) and Institut Technique Français des Fromages (France). First produced in the Thônes and Arly valleys, Thônes is now the production hub of Reblochon, which is made from the day's second milking. The top Reblochon producers are Abondance, Tarentaise and Monbéliard. With a diameter of 14 cm and a thickness of 3 cm to 4 cm, Reblochon is optimally produced from May to September after being aged from 6 to 8 weeks, but producers say it is also excellent from March to December. Countries Belgium, Germany, France
