Scientists have found the tiny helpers that give three British artisan cheeses their special taste. Some of these helpers might also be good for our guts.
A team at the University of Reading followed how the cheese changed while it aged. They studied three cheeses made by Nettlebed Creamery in Oxfordshire: a soft white‑rind cheese aged about a week, a washed‑rind semi‑soft cheese that took several weeks, and a semi‑hard cheese that spent nine months in hay.
Helpful Bacteria Build Flavor and Texture
During aging, many friendly bacteria work together. They create new aromas and softer textures. The fat and protein in cheese also protect these bacteria, helping them survive the trip through our digestive system. That means cheese could be a natural way to deliver probiotics to the gut.
The researchers took cheese samples at several points. They checked which bacteria were present and measured the chemicals they produced.
All three cheeses held bacteria known to act as probiotics. Streptococcus thermophilus, often used to start yogurt, stayed common in the semi‑soft and harder cheeses. Lactococcus lactis was found in every cheese from start to finish.
The washed‑rind and hay‑aged cheeses also contained Propionibacterium freudenreichii. This microbe makes propionic acid, a substance linked to lower inflammation, less cholesterol creation, and better appetite control.
Cheese Rind May Feed Good Gut Bacteria
If you enjoy eating the rind, there is a bonus. The white mold Penicillium candidum that forms the rind on the soft cheese makes chitin, a type of fiber. Chitin works as a pre‑biotic, feeding the helpful microbes in our gut.
Pre‑biotics are food for good bacteria, encouraging a healthier gut community.
The hay‑aging process had a big impact on the harder cheese. As it matured, the number of different bacterial species grew a lot. The fully aged cheese had almost four times more bacterial types than the same cheese early on.
Old Cheese Has Very Little Lactose
When the cheeses were fully mature, they contained almost no lactose, the milk sugar some people find hard to digest.
During fermentation, lactic‑acid bacteria broke down the lactose, leaving only trace amounts by the time the cheese was ready to eat.
More studies are needed. Future research will test how these cheese bacteria behave inside the human gut and what health effects they might have.