Wooden Tools: Reservoirs of Microbial Biodiversity in Traditional Cheesemaking
- Authors: Sylvie Lortal1, Giuseppe Licitra2, Florence Valence3
- Editor: Catherine W. Donnelly4
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VIEW AFFILIATIONS HIDE AFFILIATIONSAffiliations: 1: INRA, Agrocampus Ouest, UMR1253 Science et Technologie du lait et de l'œuf, 35042 Rennes, France; 2: CoRFiLaC, 97100 Ragusa, Italy; 3: INRA, Agrocampus Ouest, UMR1253 Science et Technologie du lait et de l'œuf, 35042 Rennes, France; 4: University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
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Received 13 March 2012 Accepted 11 June 2012 Published 24 January 2014
- Correspondence: Sylvie Lortal, [email protected]

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Abstract:
Today, wooden shelves are used for the ripening of about 500,000 tons of cheese per year in Europe, including about 350,000 tons in France, such as most of the famous cheeses with the protected designation of origin (PDO), e.g., Comté, Reblochon, Beaufort, Munster, Cantal, and Roquefort. For some PDO cheeses, the use of wooden tools is mandatory. Many cheesemakers believe that wooden tools improve the organoleptic and typical characteristics of their final products. Wood is a natural and sustainable material which has been used for centuries in traditional cheese production in a wide variety of forms (vats, shelves, and packaging). Wood is important in the cheesemaking process, interacting with the milk in vats or with the cheeses placed on shelves for ripening. Wood is viable due to its ability to exchange water but, above all, because it is covered by a rich microbial biofilm. As wood is porous and difficult to clean, the European Commission regularly highlights the question of its safety when in contact with food and calls for deeper scientific investigation. In this review, knowledge about the multiple technological roles of wood in dairy technology is discussed. The crucial role of wood as a reservoir of microbial biodiversity for traditional cheeses is reviewed, along with results of safety assessments. As a conclusion, the numerous questions remaining about this natural inoculating system are discussed.
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Citation: Lortal S, Licitra G, Valence F. 2014. Wooden Tools: Reservoirs of Microbial Biodiversity in Traditional Cheesemaking. Microbiol Spectrum 2(1):CM-0008-2012. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.




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Abstract:
Today, wooden shelves are used for the ripening of about 500,000 tons of cheese per year in Europe, including about 350,000 tons in France, such as most of the famous cheeses with the protected designation of origin (PDO), e.g., Comté, Reblochon, Beaufort, Munster, Cantal, and Roquefort. For some PDO cheeses, the use of wooden tools is mandatory. Many cheesemakers believe that wooden tools improve the organoleptic and typical characteristics of their final products. Wood is a natural and sustainable material which has been used for centuries in traditional cheese production in a wide variety of forms (vats, shelves, and packaging). Wood is important in the cheesemaking process, interacting with the milk in vats or with the cheeses placed on shelves for ripening. Wood is viable due to its ability to exchange water but, above all, because it is covered by a rich microbial biofilm. As wood is porous and difficult to clean, the European Commission regularly highlights the question of its safety when in contact with food and calls for deeper scientific investigation. In this review, knowledge about the multiple technological roles of wood in dairy technology is discussed. The crucial role of wood as a reservoir of microbial biodiversity for traditional cheeses is reviewed, along with results of safety assessments. As a conclusion, the numerous questions remaining about this natural inoculating system are discussed.

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Figures
Examples of wooden tools. (A) A wooden gerle vat; (B) shelves used for cheese ripening. Both are used in French PDO cheesemaking. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.f1

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FIGURE 1
Examples of wooden tools. (A) A wooden gerle vat; (B) shelves used for cheese ripening. Both are used in French PDO cheesemaking. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.f1
Scanning electron microscopy of the surface of spruce ripening shelves showing wood tubular structure. Cross sections are in the direction of wood fibers (A) and perpendicular to the fibers (B). Courtesy of E. Notz. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.f2

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FIGURE 2
Scanning electron microscopy of the surface of spruce ripening shelves showing wood tubular structure. Cross sections are in the direction of wood fibers (A) and perpendicular to the fibers (B). Courtesy of E. Notz. doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.f2
Microbial biofilm covering the wooden vat called a tina used in Ragusano cheesemaking. Shown are scanning electron micrographs of bacterial cells embedded in the polysaccharides at the surface of wood (A) and inside the wood fibers (B). doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.f3

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FIGURE 3
Microbial biofilm covering the wooden vat called a tina used in Ragusano cheesemaking. Shown are scanning electron micrographs of bacterial cells embedded in the polysaccharides at the surface of wood (A) and inside the wood fibers (B). doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.f3
Spontaneous acidification at 37°C of microfiltered milk before (diamonds) and after contact 10 min with the tina wooden vat (circles) showing the efficient inoculation of lactic acid bacteria into the milk ( 15 ). doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.f4

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FIGURE 4
Spontaneous acidification at 37°C of microfiltered milk before (diamonds) and after contact 10 min with the tina wooden vat (circles) showing the efficient inoculation of lactic acid bacteria into the milk ( 15 ). doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.CM-0008-2012.f4
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