The stability and functional redundancy of a microbial cheese ecosystem subjected to a biotic perturbation

The cheese microbial community is dense with relatively low complexity and composed of cultivable prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms. The ripening process can thus be reproduced under controlled conditions. A reduced microbial community composed of yeasts and bacteria was assembled to mimic that of smear-ripened cheese. The genomes of the microorganisms have been sequenced and annotated, which allows access to gene expression under various conditions at different ripening times. Through the use of a combined approach using omics (e.g. metatranscriptomics, volatilomics), and biochemical/microbial analyses, we have investigated the effect of a biotic perturbation, omission of some yeast, on the stability and functionality of the microbial cheese community throughout ripening.