TY - JOUR AU - Moser, Aline AU - Schafroth, Karl AU - Meile, Leo AU - Egger, Lotti AU - Badertscher, René AU - Irmler, Stefan PY - 2018 M3 - Original Research TI - Population Dynamics of Lactobacillus helveticus in Swiss Gruyère-Type Cheese Manufactured With Natural Whey Cultures JO - Frontiers in Microbiology UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.00637 VL - 9 SN - 1664-302X N2 - Lactobacillus helveticus, a ubiquitous bacterial species in natural whey cultures (NWCs) used for Swiss Gruyère cheese production, is considered to have crucial functions for cheese ripening such as enhancing proteolysis. We tracked the diversity and abundance of L. helveticus strains during 6 months of ripening in eight Swiss Gruyère-type cheeses using a culture-independent typing method. The study showed that the L. helveticus population present in NWCs persisted in cheese and demonstrated a stable multi-strain coexistence during cheese ripening. With regard to proteolysis, one of the eight L. helveticus populations exhibited less protein degradation during ripening. ER -