Mini-Scale Cheese Peptidomics Reveals Strain-Specific Bitter Peptide Profiles During Cheese Aging
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ABSTRACT: This study investigated the impact of individual lactococcal starter cultures on peptide formation and bitter peptide accumulation during cheese aging using a novel mini-scale cheese production system. Cheeses were produced using single-strain fermentations of Lactococcus lactis and Lactococcus cremoris and aged for 45 and 90 days. Peptide profiles were analyzed using LC-MS/MS-based peptidomics to characterize strain-specific proteolytic patterns and bitter peptide generation from casein proteins. The resulting peptide profiles demonstrated strong strain specificity and reproducibility among replicates. Particular emphasis was placed on bitter peptides derived from β-casein and αS1-casein regions associated with cheese bitterness. Two L. lactis strains, E2-4M12 and E1-6M12, consistently produced lower abundances of bitter peptides despite substantial overall peptide abundance, suggesting unique proteolytic characteristics. Comparative analysis between CEP-positive and CEP-negative strains indicated that CEP genotype alone was not a primary determinant of bitter peptide accumulation. These findings contribute to understanding how starter culture selection influences cheese proteolysis and bitterness development during ripening.
INSTRUMENT(S):
ORGANISM(S): Bos Taurus (bovine)
SUBMITTER:
Russell Kuhfeld
LAB HEAD: Russell Kuhfeld
PROVIDER: PXD079655 | Pride | 2026-08-01
REPOSITORIES: Pride
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