Temporal microbiota and biochemical profiles during production and ripening of Divle Cave cheese

The aim of this study was to evaluate the proteolysis and lipolysis profiles of a raw ewes' milk cheese during production and ripening. The microbial community of this cheese was quantified, and their roles during proteolysis and lipolysis were studied. We observed an accumulation of substantial amounts of peptides during ripening, which might be attributed to the abundant presence of lactic acid bacteria, as well as to secondary microbiota including fungi, yeasts and actinobacteria. Similarly, high lipolysis levels were obtained, which can be explained by the indigenous lipase in milk and microbial lipases. These results should be of great interest to industrial manufacturers of this cheese.