Novel yeasts with potential probiotic characteristics isolated from the endogenous ferment of artisanal Minas cheese

Nayara Martins Zille de Miranda; Angélica Cristina de Souza; Paulo de Souza Costa Sobrinho; Disney Ribeiro Dias; Rosane Freitas Schwan; Cíntia Lacerda Ramos

doi:10.1007/s42770-023-01002-5

Novel yeasts with potential probiotic characteristics isolated from the endogenous ferment of artisanal Minas cheese

Braz J Microbiol. 2023 Jun;54(2):1021-1033. doi: 10.1007/s42770-023-01002-5. Epub 2023 May 10.

Authors

Nayara Martins Zille de Miranda¹, Angélica Cristina de Souza², Paulo de Souza Costa Sobrinho³, Disney Ribeiro Dias⁴, Rosane Freitas Schwan², Cíntia Lacerda Ramos⁵

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Science and Technology, Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valeys, Rodovia MGT 367 - km 583, no. 5000 - Alto da Jacuba - Diamantina, Minas Gerais, 39100-000, Brazil.
² Department of Biology, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, 37200-900, Brazil.
³ Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valeys, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, 39100-000, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Food Science, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, 37200-900, Brazil.
⁵ Institute of Science and Technology, Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valeys, Rodovia MGT 367 - km 583, no. 5000 - Alto da Jacuba - Diamantina, Minas Gerais, 39100-000, Brazil. cintia.ramos@ufvjm.edu.br.

Abstract

Artisanal Minas cheese (QMA) is traditionally elaborate using raw milk and endogenous ferment (pingo - whey or rala - grated ripened cheese). In the present study, 91 yeast strains were isolated and identified from pingo and rala. Eight yeast species were identified by the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and confirmed by sequencing of the ITS region. The yeasts' protease and lipase activities were evaluated in addition to probiotic properties such as tolerance to low pH and bile salts, hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, co-aggregation with pathogens, and antimicrobial susceptibility. The rala ferment showed a greater variety of species. Yarrowia lipolytica was the dominant specie (52.7% of isolates), followed by the Kluyveromyces lactis and Kodamaea ohmeri (9.9 and 6.6%, respectively). From the total yeasts evaluated, 74 strains showed positive enzymatic activity: 52 strains showed lipolytic (51 Y. lipolytica and one Trichosporon japonicum) and 44 proteolytic activities (18 Y. lipolytica, 13 K. ohmeri, 11 K. lactis, and 2 Wickerhamiella sp.). All evaluated isolates demonstrated tolerance to pH 2.0, and 69 isolates supported the presence of bile salts. From them, 12 isolates showed the capacity of autoaggregation (> 30%) and hydrophobicity (> 90.0%) and were then selected for co-aggregation and antibiotic resistance assays. All selected isolates showed co-aggregation with Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes greater than 30%. None of the yeast showed sensibility to the evaluated antibiotics and antagonistic activity against the evaluated pathogens. The results demonstrated that pingo and rala have different yeast composition with different enzymatic activity, which may affect the characteristics of the cheese. Furthermore, some yeast strains: Y. lipolytica (9 strains isolated from rala) and K. ohmeri (3 strains isolated from pingo) demonstrated attractive probiotic potential.

Keywords: Endogenous ferment; MALDI-TOF; Pingo; Probiotic; Rala.

MeSH terms

Cheese* / microbiology
Peptide Hydrolases
Probiotics*
Yeasts

Substances

Peptide Hydrolases