2. Major microbial groups found on cheese surfaces

Surface microbial diversity is known to be dense (over a billion cells per gram of cheese), moderately complex (composed of a few species to several dozen species), comprising both prokaryotes (Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria), but also yeasts and molds. The specific signature of a cheese microbial community is due to the presence and abundance of different species, rather than those of any one particular species. Many species are common to most cheese varieties, but they assemble at different levels of complexity, which vary not only during the ripening process, but also according to the season, the technological parameters imposed and the type of rind (washed, natural, bloomy) (figure