Congratulations to Thomas Eliasson who successfully defended his PhD thesis on September 20 in Umeå

Congratulations to Thomas Eliasson, MSc, from the Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, who successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled “From farm to cheese: Exploring the bacteria in the dairy value chain” on September 20, 2024, in Umeå. The opponent was Professor Nigel Scollan from the Institute for Global Food Security, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, Belfast, United Kingdom.

In his thesis, Thomas investigated bacterial flows in dairy production, from the field through silage and raw milk to the mature cheese, with a focus on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) important for flavor development in a long-aged Swedish hard cheese. The thesis included studies on silage made with different additives, showing that the dominant bacterial genera were Lactobacillus and Pediococcus, regardless of harvest time and location. The effect of silage additives on the bacterial composition of the final cheese was found to be limited, with the starter culture used in cheese production having the most influence on the final bacterial composition.

Overall, the thesis highlights how bacterial flows in the dairy value chain affect the microbial composition of cheese, with a focus on factors not analyzed in the thesis as well as the production process at the dairy.

You can find more information on the thesis here: Link to thesis

We congratulate Thomas on his successful defense and wish him all the best in his future career.