BB-rel@ldeleger:BB-rel-F-24794620-003 JSONTXT

At the beginning of the ripening process lactate, produced by lactic acid bacteria, is metabolized by yeasts, primarily Debaryomyces hansenii and Geotrichum candidum, resulting in an increase in the pH of the cheese surface ( Bockelmann et al., 2005, Irlinger and Mounier, 2009 and Montel et al., 2014). These processes and the metabolism of yeast growth factors facilitate the growth of coagulase-negative staphylococci such as Staphylococcus equorum and salt-tolerant bacterial communities – mainly coryneforms – such as Corynebacterium spp., Arthrobacter spp., Micrococcus spp., Brevibacterium spp. and Brachybacterium spp. Finally, bacteria and yeasts cover the entire surface of the cheeses. Coryneform bacteria are particularly abundant in cheese rinds ( Delbes et al., 2007, Gori et al., 2013, Maoz et al., 2003 and Rea et al., 2007). In addition, Gram-negative bacteria such as Halomonas spp., Vibrio spp., and Hafnia alvei have been detected on cheese surfaces ( Brennan et al., 2002, Coton et al., 2012, Feurer et al., 2004a, Gori et al., 2013, Irlinger and Mounier, 2009, Ishikawa et al., 2007, Maoz et al., 2003, Mounier et al., 2005 and Rea et al., 2007).