Food and Fermentation Industries >

2026 , Vol. 52 >Issue 5: 213 - 221

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13995/j.cnki.11-1802/ts.043111

Elucidation of cholesterol-reducing mechanisms and functional microbe screening in Xinjiang artisanal cheese

  • WANG Yajie ,
  • LI Zhenfen ,
  • CHEN Jianling ,
  • WU Cailian ,
  • NUERGULI·Reheman ,
  • ZHU Xiaoying
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  • 1(College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830017, China)
    2(Laboratory of Conservation and Regulation Biology of Xinjiang Special Species, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830017, China)
    3(Key Laboratory of Applied and Regulatory Mechanisms of Xinjiang Special Species Diversity, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830017, China)

Received date: 2025-04-23

  Revised date: 2025-07-16

  Online published: 2026-03-25

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Abstract

The traditional Xinjiang artisanal cheese is widely believed in folk medicine to possess probiotic properties, including gastrointestinal regulation and blood lipid-lowering effects.However, scientific evidence supporting these purported probiotic functionalities remains limited.This study employs metagenomic sequencing technology to conduct an in-depth analysis of microbial community diversity in traditional Xinjiang cheese collected from pastoralists in Ili.Through comprehensive annotation and analysis using KEGG, eggNOG, and CAZy databases, we systematically characterized metabolic pathways, functional genes involved in metabolism, and associated enzymes.Furthermore, we isolated and identified bacterial strains with cholesterol-degrading capabilities.This research aims to enhance the scientific understanding of Xinjiang cheese and provide a theoretical foundation for exploring its potential probiotic functions.Metagenomic analysis revealed distinct microbial profiles between the samples:in sample X1, the predominant fungal species was Kluyveromyces marxianus , while the bacterial community was dominated by Lactobacillus (particularly Lactobacillus delbrueckii) and Streptococcus species.Sample X2 exhibited a more diverse fungal composition featuring both K.marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae as dominant species.The bacterial profile was characterized by Streptococcus species, with notable prevalence of Streptococcus thermophilus.The KEGG enrichment analysis demonstrated that both X1 and X2 samples were significantly enriched in four lipid metabolism pathways (including triglyceride metabolism), confirming the cholesterol-lowering potential of their microbial communities.These findings provide valuable microbial resources and a theoretical foundation for developing cholesterol-reducing functional products.Through systematic screening, we obtained 10 bacterial strains exhibiting robust cholesterol-degrading capacity (>20% degradation rate).Notably, the Enterococcus lactis strain XY2-4 demonstrated exceptional performance with 66.63% cholesterol degradation, significantly surpassing the average level of the screened isolates (P<0.05).Furthermore, this study successfully isolated a cholesterol-degrading S.cerevisiae strain exhibiting 44.83% degradation efficiency, revealing its potential application value in lipid metabolism modulation.

Key words： cholesterol-lowering; metagenomics; cheese; lactic acid bacteria; Saccharomycetes; microbial diversity

Cite this article

WANG Yajie , LI Zhenfen , CHEN Jianling , WU Cailian , NUERGULI·Reheman , ZHU Xiaoying . Elucidation of cholesterol-reducing mechanisms and functional microbe screening in Xinjiang artisanal cheese[J]. Food and Fermentation Industries, 2026 , 52(5) : 213 -221 . DOI: 10.13995/j.cnki.11-1802/ts.043111

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