MetaCheeseDB

Metadata-curated Cheese Database

MetaCheeseDB is an open source metadata-curated catalogue of cheese metagenomes for studying the cheese microbiome across 18 harmonised metadata, including production technologies, EU-labelling, and country of origin. This database indeed integrates 1,593 shotgun metagenomes spanning 156 cheese subtypes from 19 countries between 4 continents, combining publicly available datasets with newly sequenced Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) cheeses. MetaCheeseDB pairs high-resolution microbiome data with cheese-specific metadata so that researchers can test ecological and functional hypotheses at scale, and stakeholders can explore microbiome signatures relevant to quality, authenticity, and technological innovation.

The browsing interface of MetaCheeseDB can be explored here, whilst the rationale behind the metadata harmonisation is stored at this link.