Discrimination of commercial Caciocavallo cheeses on the basis of the diversity of lactic microflora and primary proteolysis

A wide variety of semi-hard pasta-filata cheese fall under the common name “Caciocavallo”, including Caciocavallo Silano, a Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) cheese produced in Southern Italy. Multivariate analysis techniques were used to investigate the specificity of Caciocavallo Silano PDO cheeses within the area of production and to compare them with cheeses of similar denomination or cheeses produced with similar technology. The composition of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) communities at the species level and the primary proteolysis of commercial cheeses were assessed. A high variability was observed in the composition of LAB communities, and no clear relationship was found with either the region of origin or the cheese denomination. However, the microflora of PDO cheeses was less heterogeneous than that of non-PDO cheeses and composed mainly of non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) such as Lactobacillus paracasei, L. fermentum, and L. plantarum. A high diversity in the proteolytic pattern of the cheeses was also found. This diversity was associated with the trends observed in the community of LAB populating each of the cheeses. The main problems concerning the protection of the denomination are discussed.