Metagenomes enriched with <i>Virgibacillus</i> are associated with a pink paste defect in an unpasteurized blue cheese

Shotgun metagenomes were used to identify microbes associated with a pink discoloration of an unpasteurized blue cheese made in the United States. Taxonomic assessments of individual reads and metagenome-assembled genomes revealed that the genus <i>Virgibacillus</i> was present in the pink paste, but not in unaffected paste.