Artisanal cheeses relying on spontaneous fermentation as sources of unusual microbiota – The example of the Bulgarian ‘mehovo sirene’ skin bag cheese

The Bulgarian ‘mehovo sirene’ cheese is a type of regional artisanal cheese prepared from raw ewe milk in a skin bag relying on spontaneous fermentation. A metagenomics study revealed an unusual microbiome comprising beneficial bacteria such as Staphylococcus equorum, Lactococcus lactis, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, Lactococcus raffinolactis, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Limosilactobacillus fermentum and Loigolactobacillus coryniformis. Our findings suggest that ‘mehovo sirene’ could have some functional food properties and is a source of beneficial microorganisms.