Spatial metabolomics reveals the role of penicillic acid in cheese-rind microbiome disruption by a spoilage fungus.

ABSTRACT: Microbial interactions in cheese rinds influence community structure, food safety, and product quality. But the chemical mechanisms that mediate microbial interactions in cheeses and other fermented foods are generally not known. Here, we investigate how the spoilage mold Aspergillus westerdijkiae chemically inhibits beneficial cheese-rind bacteria using a combination of omics technologies. In cheese-rind community and co-culture experiments, A. westerdijkiae strongly inhibited most cheese-rind community members. In co-culture with Staphylococcus equorum, A. westerdijkiae strongly affected bacterial gene expression, including upregulation of a putative bceAB gene cluster that is associated with resistance to antimicrobial compounds in other bacteria. Mass

SUBMITTER: Grundmann CO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12911348 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature