Assessment of autochthonous lactic acid bacteria as starter cultures for improved manufacture of Pico cheese using a cheese model

Abstract

Traditional raw-milk cheeses face a competitive market. To survive, they need to adapt to modern market demands without compromising their unique character. Adding autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as starter cultures to pasteurised milk has been contemplated to address this challenge. In this work, autochthonous Lactococcus lactis L1C21M1, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L1B1E6, and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides L1B1E6 from Pico cheese – a traditional product of the Azores Islands (Portugal), manufactured from raw cows’ milk – were used with the goal of controlling the growth of coagulase-positive staphylococci and enhancing proteolysis. Addition of autochthonous LAB to pasteurised milk afforded control over coagulase-positive staphylococci. When pasteurised milk was inoculated with an autochthonous lactococcal or leuconostoc culture, more extensive, deeper proteolysis resulted than in artisanal cheese. However, the values obtained were still too low compared with those of the corresponding PDO criteria. As such, there may be a need to revise these specifications.