A rapid spectroscopic method for the identification of the filamentous fungi isolated from Turkish traditional mold-ripened cheeses

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is an alternative microbial identification technique due to its faster analysis times and lower cost compared to molecular methods. In this study, forty-three fungal strains isolated from different Turkish traditional mold-ripened cheeses representing nine different Penicillium species (P. roqueforti, P. corylophilum, P. before, P. crustosum, P. spinulosum, P. rubens, P. brevicompactum, P. paneum, and P. solitum) were analyzed by using FTIR HTS-XT (High Throughput Screening Extension) method in the 4000–400 cm−1 wavenumber range. The spectra of the isolates were evaluated, and the chemical structures corresponding to the fungus-specific spectral regions were determined as fatty acids (3600–2800 cm−1), amide I and amide II of proteins and peptides (1740–1500 cm−1), polysaccharides (1200–900 cm−1) and carbohydrates (900–600 cm−1). The isolates were grouped according to the hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) by applying chemometrics combined with FTIR spectroscopy. Results showed that FTIR spectroscopy has a high capability for rapid determination of cheese fungi based on their FTIR spectra. [Display omitted] •FTIR spectra of the molds isolated from Turkish traditional mold-ripened cheeses were determined for the first time.•FTIR HTS-XT method was combined with HCA (hierarchical clustering analysis) as a chemometric technique.•The molecular identification of the isolates were compared with the spectroscopic analysis.•Penicillium species were discriminated from each other except for P. roqueforti and P. paneum.