  Halloumi is a semi hard cheese produced in Cyprus for centuries and its
popularity has significantly risen over the past years. High throughput
sequencing (HTS) was applied in the present research to characterize
traditional Cyprus Halloumi bacterial diversity. Eighteen samples made by
different milk mixtures and produced in different areas of the country were
analyzed, to reveal that Halloumi microbiome was mainly comprised by lactic
acid bacteria (LAB), including Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and Pediococcus, as
well as halophilic bacteria, such as Marinilactibacillus and Halomonas.
Additionally, spore forming bacteria and spoilage bacteria, were also detected.
Halloumi produced with the traditional method, had significantly richer
bacterial diversity compared to Halloumi produced with the industrial method.
Variations detected among the bacterial communities highlight the contribution
of the initial microbiome that existed in milk and survived pasteurization, as
well as factors associated with Halloumi manufacturing conditions, in the final
microbiota composition shaping. Identification and characterization of Halloumi
microbiome provides an additional, useful tool to characterize its typicity and
probably safeguard it from fraud products that may appear in the market. Also,
it may assist producers to further improve its quality and guarantee consumers
safety.
