Metagenomics and volatile profile of Turkish artisanal Tulum cheese microbiota

Turkish artisanal Tulum cheese is a traditional raw milk cheese and starter cultures are not used for ripening process. In this study, 16S rRNA amplicon-based sequencing approach was used for determining bacterial diversity in Tulum cheeses. The volatile organic compound (VOC) profile which contributes to sensory properties of the cheeses was determined via solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/SPME) and correlated with the microbiota. In Tulum cheese samples, Lactobacillaceae (30,71%) phylum widely varied but Streptococcaceae (59,86%) was dominant. It mainly belongs to the four dominant genera of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and includes Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus and Pediococcus. The bacterial diversity of TC5 sample was much higher than that of other samples. Moreover, several species of non-starter LAB were frequently detected. A total of 36 volatile compounds were identified including hydrocarbons (3), acids (13), alcohols (5), ketones (3), aldehydes (3), esters (8) and miscellaneous compound (1). Pentadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, octanoic acid, hexanoic acid were determined to be dominant in all cheese samples and to be related to microbial flora. Also, the sensory profiles of the samples were examined. The most popular TC6 did not contain 2-butanone and hexanal from the volatile organic compound (VOC) values, while in the most unpopular TC3, 2-butanone (7.73%) and hexanal (5.95%) were found to be the highest. The outcome of this study will contribute to literature on bacterial diversity and aromatic profile of Tulum cheese which should be investigated in order to improve quality and safety. •The bacterial population diversity of Tulum cheeses was assessed by using amplicon based metagenomic sequencing method.•Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, Enterococcus, Pediococcus prevailed in Tulum cheese samples.•Thirty-six different volatile compounds were identified in Tulum cheese samples.•Pentadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, octanoic acid, hexanoic acid were dominant mainly in all samples.