Teso Pérez, ClaudiaLópez Gazcón, AreliPeralta Sánchez, Juan ManuelMartínez Bueno, ManuelValdivia, EvaFárez Vidal, María EstherMartín Platero, Antonio M.2025-06-112025-06-112024-01-22Teso Pérez, C., López Gazcón, A., Peralta Sánchez, J.M., Martínez Bueno, M., Valdivia, E., Fárez Vidal, M.E. y Martín Platero, A.M. (2024). Bacteriocin‑Producing Enterococci Modulate Cheese Microbial Diversity. Microbial Ecology, 87 (1), 175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-025-02491-7.1432-184X0095-3628https://hdl.handle.net/11441/174189Cheese production involves various lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that break down lactose, milk proteins, and fats, producing,key nutrients and infuencing the cheese’s favor. They form communities that play a crucial role in determining the cheese’s,organoleptic properties. The composition of cheeses’ microbial communities is shaped by physicochemical factors (e.g., temperature, pH, and salinity) and biological factors (i.e. microbial interactions). While starter cultures are introduced to control,these communities, non-starter LAB represent a signifcant portion of the fnal microbial assemblage, but their interactions,remain unclear. LAB often produce bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides that antagonize other bacteria, but their role within,LAB communities is not fully understood. This study aimed to assess the impact of bacteriocin production on LAB diversity,in cheese, using Enterococcus as a model organism, a common bacteriocin producer. We analyzed enterocin production of,enterococcal isolates by antimicrobial assays and microbial diversity diferences in raw milk cheeses by two approaches: 16S,RNA gene amplicon metagenomic sequencing for the whole microbial community and multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA),for the enterococcal diversity. Our results revealed that LAB communities were dominated by lactococci, lactobacilli, and,streptococci, with enterococci present in lower numbers. However, cheeses containing bacteriocin-producing enterococci,exhibited higher microbial diversity. Interestingly, the highest diversity occurred at low levels of bacteriocin producers, but,this efect was not observed within enterococcal populations. These fndings suggest that bacteriocin production plays a,key role in shaping LAB communities during cheese ripening, although further research is needed to understand its broader,implications in other microbial ecosystems.application/pdf15 p.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/EnterococcusCheese microbiotaMicrobial interactionsMicrobial diversityBacteriocinsEnterocinsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-025-02491-7