Iranian Food Science and Technology Research Journal
with the collaboration of Iranian Food Science and Technology Association (IFSTA)

Effect of Ultrasonication on Texture Profile Analysis, Microbiome Phylogeny, and Prediction of Fatty Acid Metabolic Pathways in Siahmazgi Cheese

Document Type : Research Article-en

Authors

Somayeh Alsadat Mehrzad 1
Fakhri Shahidi 1
Nafiseh Davati 2
Mostafa Karami 2

1 Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran

2 Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food Industry, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/ifstrj.2026.97209.1539
Abstract
Siahmazgi cheese ripens through the metabolic activities of the indigenous microbiota present in unpasteurized milk. To ensure its safety, non-thermal processing methods such as ultrasound are required. This study aimed to determine the textural changes and the phylogeny relationships of the microbiome in Siahmazgi cheese affected by ultrasonication, followed by a metabolomics analysis of fatty acids (FAs). Microscopic changes in cheese texture affected by ultrasonication (0, 5, 10 min) were examined through processing of SEM images by ImageJ. Texture profile analysis was also performed using a texture analyzer. Phylogenetic and metabolomics analyses of the microbiome were carried out using Geneious Prime. Correlations between microbes, metabolites, and metabolic pathways using Cytoscape. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the microbiome of cheeses treated with the same sonication exhibited similar genetic heatmaps until the third month, while the non-sonicated sample at the sixth month of ripening displayed the highest biodiversity. Staphylococcus equorum, Acinetobacter johnsonii, Lactobacillus zeae, Macrococcus caseolyticus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum were identified as key contributors to FAs metabolism. Hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, (9Z,12Z,15Z)-octadecatrienoic acid, and (9Z)-hexadecenoic acid were identified as the main FAs from lipid metabolism, and the biosynthesis of unsaturated FAs. Texture of samples prepared from 5 min-sonication showed the highest pore number (2345) and porosity (0.046352). Hardness, adhesiveness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness were the lowest in 5-min sonicated samples and the highest in 10-min sonicated samples during ripening. If a porous soft texture in the Siahmazgi cheese is desired, sonication for 5 min is recommended. Additionally, the results of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of the effect of sonication on texture, microbiome, and the prediction of metabolic pathways of FAs in Siahmazgi cheese, which supportthe development of non-thermal technologies for traditional cheeses.

Keywords

Metabolomics
Siahmazgi cheese
Texture profile analyzer
Ultrasonication
Subjects

Authors retain the copyright. This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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Iranian Food Science and Technology Research Journal
Volume 22, Issue 3 - Serial Number 99
July and August 2026
Pages 303-317

  • Receive Date 27 December 2025
  • Revise Date 10 April 2026
  • Accept Date 21 April 2026
  • First Publish Date 19 May 2026

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