Fagagna cheese Characterization and Autoctonous Starter Selection to Improve the quality of this Typical Italian product

Fagagna cheese is a semihard and pressed artisanal cheese produced in North-East Italy without the use of commercial lactic acid bacteria as a starter. Cheese, made from unpasteurized milk and following traditional manufacturing procedures, may possess a very diverse and rich microflora, which influences the quality of the product. In addition, the biodiversity of bacteria involved in cheese production can be considered a fundamental factor for the maintenance of the typical features of traditional cheese products. The aim was the study of the microbial ecology and the physico-chemicals characteristics (pH, proteolysis index, biogenic amines, and volatiles compounds) of Fagagna cheese from artisanal factory and the selection of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains that don't produce biogenic amines, to be used as a starter culture. Lactobacillus delbrueckii, L. thermophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. fermentum, Streptococcus macedonicus, Enterococcus faecalis e Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides were the species involved in the fermentation process. The amount of total biogenic amines increased during ripening in the Fagagna cheese produced without the use of the starter colture. Conversely, the amount of total biogenic amines was extremely lower in the cheese obtained using the selected starter colture, so the Fagagna cheese could be considered safe for the consumers. The aromatic compounds were also investigated.