Yeast diversity in a traditional French cheese “Tomme d'orchies” reveals infrequent and frequent species with associated benefits

- Frequent and infrequent yeasts species were isolated from Tomme d'orchies cheese.
- Yeasts with inhibitory activities and safe characteristics were isolated.
- Characterization of antagonism was determined against food and medical pathogens.

This study is aimed at unrevealing the yeast diversity of handmade cheese, Tomme d'orchies, produced and marketed in the north of France. A total of 185 yeast colonies were isolated from the surface and core of this cheese. From these, 80 morphologically different colonies were selected and subjected to rep-PCR analysis. The isolates were clustered into six distinct groups based on their DNA fingerprints. From each group, at least 30% of isolates were selected and identified to species level by biochemical characteristics (ID32C Api system) and sequencing of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and 26S rDNA regions. The isolates belonged to Yarrowia lipolytica, Debaryomyces hansenii, Kluyveromyces lactis and Kluyveromyces marxianus, frequently isolated, and less frequently isolated Saturnispora mendoncae and Clavispora lusitaniae. Two isolates designated as Kluyveromyces lactis (isolate S-3-05) and Kluyveromyces marxianus (isolate S-2-05) were non-hemolytic, sensitive to antifungal compounds and able to inhibit the growth of pathogens including Candida albicans, Listeria monocytogenes and some bacilli.