Registered designation of origin areas of fermented food products defined by microbial phenotypes and artificial neural networks.

Cheese produced from raw ewes' milk and chouriço, a Portuguese dry fermented sausage, are still produced in a traditional way in certain regions of Portugal by relying on colonization by microbial populations associated with the raw materials, equipment, and local environments. For the purpose of describing the product origins and types of these fermented foods, metabolic phenotypes can be used as descriptors of the product as well as to determine the presence of compounds with organoleptic value. The application of artificial neural networks to the metabolic profiles of bacterial isolates was assayed and allowed the separation of products from different regions. This method could then be used for the Registered Designation of Origin certification process of food products. Therefore, besides test panel results for these traditionally produced food products, another tool for validating products for the marketplace is available to the producers. The method can be improved for the detection of counterfeit products.