The smell of Limburger cheese comes largely from the bacterium Brevibacterium linens, which is used in its ripening.

Is it true that the smell of Limburger cheese comes largely from the bacterium Brevibacterium linens, which is used in its ripening?

Partly. Two peer-reviewed studies show Brevibacterium linens produces volatile fatty acids and flavour compounds relevant to Limburger cheese, but one also indicates yeasts contribute substantially to the aroma, and a Limburger smear study used Brevibacterium aurantiacum rather than B. linens. The evidence partially covers the claim but does not fully settle that B. linens is the main source of the smell.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 2 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

リンブルガーチーズにおける揮発性風味物質生成に対するBrevibacterium linensと酵母の相互的役割. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.2508/chikusan.41.131

Commercial Ripening Starter Microorganisms Inoculated into Cheese Milk Do Not Successfully Establish Themselves in the Resident Microbial Ripening Consortia of a South German Red Smear Cheese. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01663-07

Brevibacterium linensによる揮発性脂肪酸の生成. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.2508/chikusan.39.212