Application of SSCP–PCR fingerprinting to profile the yeast community in raw milk Salers cheeses

Bacteria and yeasts are important sensory factors of raw-milk cheeses as they contribute to the sensory richness and diversity of these products. The diversity and succession of yeast populations in three traditional Registered Designation of Origin (R.D.O.) Salers cheeses have been determined by using phenotypic diagnoses and Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Isolates were identified by phenotypic tests and the sequencing of the D1–D2 domains of the 26S rRNA gene. Ninety-two percent of the isolates were identified as the same species in both tests. Yeast-specific primers were designed to amplify the V4 region of the 18S rRNA gene for SSCP analysis. The yeast species most frequently encountered in the three cheeses were Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida zeylanoides and Debaryomyces hansenii. Detection of less common species, including Candida parapsilosis, Candida silvae, Candida intermedia, Candida rugosa, Saccharomyces unisporus, and Pichia guilliermondii was more efficient with the conventional method. SSCP analysis was accurate and could be used to rapidly assess the proportions and dynamics of the various species during cheese ripening. Each cheese was clearly distinguished by its own microbial community dynamics.