This study provides an integrated characterization of a traditional white-brined cheese produced from raw goat milk in North Macedonia, with particular emphasis on fungal diversity and dynamics during cheesemaking and ripening. Culture-dependent and high-throughput sequencing approaches were combined with fatty acid and volatile profiling, while cultivable yeasts were subjected to preliminary functional characterization and aflatoxin M1 was assessed as a complementary raw-milk safety parameter. The fungal community underwent marked changes during ripening, with Debaryomyces hansenii becoming dominant in spring-produced cheeses and Kluyveromyces marxianus prevailing in autumn-produced samples. Additional fungal taxa, including Geotrichum spp., Kurtzmaniella zeylanoides, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, further highlighted the diversity of the cheese ecosystem. Differences between the two production periods were also observed in lipid composition and volatile profiles, with spring samples showing higher MUFA and PUFA proportions and autumn-produced cheeses displaying greater volatile complexity. Preliminary characterization of cultivable yeasts revealed variability in enzymatic activities and tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Moreover, aflatoxin M1 occurrence above the EU regulatory limit highlighted a relevant safety concern related to the raw material. Overall, the integrated approach revealed substantial microbiological and biochemical variability within this traditional cheese production system and provides new insights into the fungal ecology of raw goat milk white-brined cheese. Given the experimental design, differences between spring- and autumn-produced cheeses should be interpreted as production-period-associated variability rather than as evidence of a generalized seasonal effect.
Fungal diversity and biochemical traits of a traditional raw goat milk cheese from North Macedonia: an integrated characterization / Nikolovska Nedelkoska, D., Miftari, H., Rampanti, G., Harasym, J., Pacetti, D., Lucci, P., Ismaiel, L., Fanesi, B., Ferati, I., Cardinali, F., Milanovic, V., Garofalo, C., Aquilanti, L., Osimani, A.. - In: FOOD BIOSCIENCE. - ISSN 2212-4292. - ELETTRONICO. - 85:(2026), pp. 110080.1-110080.14. [10.1016/j.fbio.2026.110080]
Fungal diversity and biochemical traits of a traditional raw goat milk cheese from North Macedonia: an integrated characterization
Rampanti G.
;Harasym J.;Pacetti D.;Lucci P.;Ismaiel L.;Fanesi B.;Cardinali F.;Milanovic V.;Garofalo C.;Aquilanti L.;Osimani A.
2026-01-01
Abstract
This study provides an integrated characterization of a traditional white-brined cheese produced from raw goat milk in North Macedonia, with particular emphasis on fungal diversity and dynamics during cheesemaking and ripening. Culture-dependent and high-throughput sequencing approaches were combined with fatty acid and volatile profiling, while cultivable yeasts were subjected to preliminary functional characterization and aflatoxin M1 was assessed as a complementary raw-milk safety parameter. The fungal community underwent marked changes during ripening, with Debaryomyces hansenii becoming dominant in spring-produced cheeses and Kluyveromyces marxianus prevailing in autumn-produced samples. Additional fungal taxa, including Geotrichum spp., Kurtzmaniella zeylanoides, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, further highlighted the diversity of the cheese ecosystem. Differences between the two production periods were also observed in lipid composition and volatile profiles, with spring samples showing higher MUFA and PUFA proportions and autumn-produced cheeses displaying greater volatile complexity. Preliminary characterization of cultivable yeasts revealed variability in enzymatic activities and tolerance to simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Moreover, aflatoxin M1 occurrence above the EU regulatory limit highlighted a relevant safety concern related to the raw material. Overall, the integrated approach revealed substantial microbiological and biochemical variability within this traditional cheese production system and provides new insights into the fungal ecology of raw goat milk white-brined cheese. Given the experimental design, differences between spring- and autumn-produced cheeses should be interpreted as production-period-associated variability rather than as evidence of a generalized seasonal effect.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
