Microbial and Biochemical Analyses of High-Quality, Long-Ripened, Blue-Veined Cabrales Cheese

Sixteen long-ripened, high-quality Cabrales cheeses from independent producers under- went a comprehensive biochemical and microbiological characterisation. Significant vari- ations in total microbial counts and specific microbial groups were observed among the cheeses. A metataxonomic analysis identified 249 prokaryotic amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and 99 eukaryotic ASVs, respectively, which were classified into 52 prokaryotic and 43 eukaryotic species. The predominant species included...