###### Abstract  
This study aimed to highlight the distinctive features of four Traditional Agri-food Products (TAP), namely, Caprino, Pecorino, Vaccino, and Cacioricotta cheeses produced at the same dairy plant to reveal any possible relationships between their microbiological and biochemical characteristics. Two distinct natural whey starter (NWS) cultures were used during Caprino and Vaccino cheesemaking, whereas no starter was used for the other cheeses. Cacioricotta retained the highest concentrations of salt and residual carbohydrates. Lactic acid bacteria dominated the microbiota of the cheeses. Furthermore, staphylococci represented an additional dominant microbial population in Cacioricotta. Although culture-dependent analysis showed that the use of NWS cultures only slightly affected the microbial community of cheeses, 16S metagenetic analysis showed that _Lactobacillus helveticus_ dominated both the NWS cultures and the corresponding Caprino and Vaccino cheeses. This analysis indicated that _Staphylococcus quorum_ and _Streptococcus thermophilus_ dominated Cacioricotta and Pecorino chees, respectively. The highest peptidase activities were found in either Caprino or Vaccino. Enzymes involved in the catabolism of free amino acids and esterase showed the highest activity in Pecorino cheese. Each cheese showed a distinct profile of volatile organic compounds, with Pecorino being the richest cheese in carboxylic acids, ketones, and esters, related to lipolysis. The results of this study contribute to valorizing and safeguarding these TAP cheeses, sustaining local farming. cheese microbiota; cheese quality; cheese safety; cheesemaking technology; metagenetic analysis; natural whey starter cultures; TAP cheeses; traditional agri-food products; volatile organic compounds +
Footnote †: journal: _foods_  
0000-0001-9993-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300-3300  
Besides the above-mentioned labels, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forest Politics (MIPAAF) defined the Traditional Agri-food Products (TAP or, elsewhere, TFPs; in Italian language, _Prodotti Agoralimentari Tradizionali, PAT_), as those agriculture or food products \"obtained with processing methods, storage and maturation over time consolidated, homogeneous throughout the territory concerned, according to traditional rules, for a period not less than twenty-five years\" [3]. Different to PDO/PGI/TSG products, TAP face some limitations: (i) small amounts of production; (ii) production is referred to limited, and sometimes fringe, areas; (iii) production protocols may be not in conformity with hygiene regulations and/or show slight variations within the same geographical area [4]. Within the last updated list of TAP, around 500 are represented by cheeses [5], perhaps the most heterogenous group of fermented food. The distinctive traits of a given cheese result from several factors, such as type of milk, production protocol, and microbiota [6]. Among the 17 TAP cheeses referred to the Apulia region (Southern Italy), we focused on Caprino, Pecorino, Vaccino, and Cacioricotta, which have been on the list since 2000 [7]. Caprino, manufactured from goats' milk, is a long ripened hard cheese. Pecorino is the oldest Apulian cheese, strictly related to the seasonal transhumance from the Abruzzo mountains to the Apulian plain, named _Tavoliere delle Puglie_, extending from the foot of the Gargano promontory and the Dauno Apennine to the Adriatic Sea. Pecorino cheese is manufactured from ewes' milk and has a semi-hard or hard texture, depending on the length of the ripening period. Vaccino cheese, manufactured from cows' milk, is characterized by a semi-hard or hard texture. Cacioricotta cheese is manufactured from a blend of milk (often goats', cows' and/or ewes' milk), frequently sold after short (two months) ripening. It is related to seasonal transhumance [8].