Aims: To investigate the impact of Proteus vulgaris growth on a multispecies ecosystem and on volatile aroma compound production during cheese ripening. Methods and Results: The microbial community dynamics and the production of volatile aroma compounds of a nine-species cheese ecosystem were compared with or without the presence of P. vulgaris in the initial inoculum. Proteus vulgaris was able to colonize the cheese surface and it was one of the dominant species, representing 37% of total isolates at the end of ripening with counts of 9 center dot 2 log(10) CFU g

Keywords:aroma compounds;interactions;microbial community;Proteus vulgaris;smear cheese