Study: Cheese Bacteria May Offer Gut Health Benefits — SkimNews
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- University of Reading researchers tracked microbial and biochemical changes as three Nettlebed Creamery cheeses — a soft white rind, a washed rind semi-soft, and a hay-aged semi-hard — matured, publishing in ACS Food Science & Technology.
- All three cheeses carried bacteria with recognized probiotic potential: Streptococcus thermophilus dominated the semi-soft and harder varieties, while Lactococcus lactis appeared in all three from start to finish.
- The washed rind and hay-aged cheeses also harbored Propionibacterium freudenreichii, which produces propionic acid — a compound tied to anti-inflammatory effects, reduced cholesterol synthesis, and appetite regulation.
- The soft cheese's white rind mold Penicillium candidum produces chitin, a dietary fiber that may function as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial gut bacteria.
- Bacterial diversity in the hay-aged semi-hard cheese (aged roughly nine months) grew nearly fourfold as it matured, according to the researchers' sampling.
- All three cheeses contained almost no lactose once mature, broken down by lactic acid bacteria during fermentation — a concrete plus for consumers who struggle to digest milk sugar.
- Lead author Sabrina Longley, a PhD researcher who is also a cheesemaker at Nettlebed Creamery, said cheese's fat-and-protein matrix may protect bacteria through digestion — but cautioned that dietary intervention trials are still needed to confirm gut-health effects in humans.
Why it matters: Researchers pinpointed specific, named probiotic bacteria — S. thermophilus, L. lactis, and P. freudenreichii — across three British artisan cheeses, and the cheese matrix itself may shield them through digestion. For lactose-intolerant eaters, the near-zero lactose in mature cheese is an immediate, source-attested upside — though the team itself flags that human dietary trials are still needed to confirm any gut-health effects.
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