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

Cheese produced from raw ewes' milk and chourico, a Portuguese dry fermente d sausage, are still produced in a traditional way in certain regions of Po rtugal by relying on colonization by microbial populations associated with the ram materials, equipment, and local environments. For the purpose of de scribing the product origins and types of these fermented foods, metabolic phenotypes can be used as descriptors of the product as well as to determin e the presence of compounds with organoleptic value. The application of art ificial neural networks to the metabolic profiles of bacterial isolates was assayed and allowed the separation of products from different regions. Thi s method could then be used for the Registered Designation of Origin certif ication process of food products. Therefore, besides test panel results for these traditionally produced food products, another tool for validating pr oducts for the marketplace is available to the producers. The method can be improved for the detection of counterfeit products.