diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsOperations.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsOperations.java
index bac21f6f9..3506ffbec 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsOperations.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsOperations.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2011 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2011-2012 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import com.mongodb.gridfs.GridFSFile;
  * Collection of operations to store and read files from MongoDB GridFS.
  * 
  * @author Oliver Gierke
+ * @author Philipp Schneider
  */
 public interface GridFsOperations extends ResourcePatternResolver {
 
@@ -42,27 +43,60 @@ public interface GridFsOperations extends ResourcePatternResolver {
 	 */
 	GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename);
 
+	/**
+	 * Stores the given content into a file with the given name and content type.
+	 * 
+	 * @param content must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param filename must not be {@literal null} or empty.
+	 * @param contentType can be {@literal null}.
+	 * @return the {@link GridFSFile} just created
+	 */
+	GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, String contentType);
+
 	/**
 	 * Stores the given content into a file with the given name using the given metadata. The metadata object will be
 	 * marshalled before writing.
 	 * 
 	 * @param content must not be {@literal null}.
 	 * @param filename must not be {@literal null} or empty.
-	 * @param metadata
+	 * @param metadata can be {@literal null}.
 	 * @return the {@link GridFSFile} just created
 	 */
 	GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, Object metadata);
 
+	/**
+	 * Stores the given content into a file with the given name and content type using the given metadata. The metadata
+	 * object will be marshalled before writing.
+	 * 
+	 * @param content must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param filename must not be {@literal null} or empty.
+	 * @param contentType can be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param metadata can be {@literal null}
+	 * @return the {@link GridFSFile} just created
+	 */
+	GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, String contentType, Object metadata);
+
 	/**
 	 * Stores the given content into a file with the given name using the given metadata.
 	 * 
 	 * @param content must not be {@literal null}.
 	 * @param filename must not be {@literal null} or empty.
-	 * @param metadata must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param metadata can be {@literal null}.
 	 * @return the {@link GridFSFile} just created
 	 */
 	GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, DBObject metadata);
 
+	/**
+	 * Stores the given content into a file with the given name and content type using the given metadata.
+	 * 
+	 * @param content must not be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param filename must not be {@literal null} or empty.
+	 * @param contentType can be {@literal null}.
+	 * @param metadata can be {@literal null}.
+	 * @return the {@link GridFSFile} just created
+	 */
+	GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, String contentType, DBObject metadata);
+
 	/**
 	 * Returns all files matching the given query. Note, that currently {@link Sort} criterias defined at the
 	 * {@link Query} will not be regarded as MongoDB does not support ordering for GridFS file access.
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsTemplate.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsTemplate.java
index ac43dc382..95dd6a8c5 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsTemplate.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsTemplate.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2011 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2011-2012 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import com.mongodb.gridfs.GridFSInputFile;
  * {@link GridFsOperations} implementation to store content into MongoDB GridFS.
  * 
  * @author Oliver Gierke
+ * @author Philipp Schneider
  */
 public class GridFsTemplate implements GridFsOperations, ResourcePatternResolver {
 
@@ -87,15 +88,37 @@ public class GridFsTemplate implements GridFsOperations, ResourcePatternResolver
 		return store(content, filename, (Object) null);
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * (non-Javadoc)
+	 * @see org.springframework.data.mongodb.gridfs.GridFsOperations#store(java.io.InputStream, java.lang.String, java.lang.String)
+	 */
+	public GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, String contentType) {
+		return store(content, filename, contentType, (Object) null);
+	}
+
 	/*
 	 * (non-Javadoc)
 	 * @see org.springframework.data.mongodb.gridfs.GridFsOperations#store(java.io.InputStream, java.lang.String, java.lang.Object)
 	 */
 	public GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, Object metadata) {
 
-		DBObject dbObject = new BasicDBObject();
-		converter.write(metadata, dbObject);
-		return store(content, filename, dbObject);
+		return store(content, filename, null, metadata);
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * (non-Javadoc)
+	 * @see org.springframework.data.mongodb.gridfs.GridFsOperations#store(java.io.InputStream, java.lang.String, java.lang.String, java.lang.Object)
+	 */
+	public GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, String contentType, Object metadata) {
+
+		DBObject dbObject = null;
+
+		if (metadata != null) {
+			dbObject = new BasicDBObject();
+			converter.write(metadata, dbObject);
+		}
+
+		return store(content, filename, contentType, dbObject);
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -103,16 +126,30 @@ public class GridFsTemplate implements GridFsOperations, ResourcePatternResolver
 	 * @see org.springframework.data.mongodb.gridfs.GridFsOperations#store(java.io.InputStream, java.lang.String, com.mongodb.DBObject)
 	 */
 	public GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, DBObject metadata) {
+		return this.store(content, filename, null, metadata);
+	}
+
+	/*
+	 * (non-Javadoc)
+	 * @see org.springframework.data.mongodb.gridfs.GridFsOperations#store(java.io.InputStream, java.lang.String, com.mongodb.DBObject)
+	 */
+	public GridFSFile store(InputStream content, String filename, String contentType, DBObject metadata) {
 
 		Assert.notNull(content);
 		Assert.hasText(filename);
-		Assert.notNull(metadata);
 
 		GridFSInputFile file = getGridFs().createFile(content);
 		file.setFilename(filename);
-		file.setMetaData(metadata);
-		file.save();
 
+		if (metadata != null) {
+			file.setMetaData(metadata);
+		}
+
+		if (contentType != null) {
+			file.setContentType(contentType);
+		}
+
+		file.save();
 		return file;
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsTemplateIIntegrationTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsTemplateIIntegrationTests.java
index 271fdf5b4..cba3ab284 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsTemplateIIntegrationTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/gridfs/GridFsTemplateIIntegrationTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2011 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2011-2012 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import com.mongodb.gridfs.GridFSFile;
  * Integration tests for {@link GridFsTemplate}.
  * 
  * @author Oliver Gierke
+ * @author Philipp Schneider
  */
 @RunWith(SpringJUnit4ClassRunner.class)
 @ContextConfiguration("classpath:gridfs/gridfs.xml")
@@ -77,6 +78,19 @@ public class GridFsTemplateIIntegrationTests {
 		assertSame(result.get(0), reference);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAMONGO-503
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void storesContentType() throws IOException {
+
+		GridFSFile reference = operations.store(resource.getInputStream(), "foo2.xml", "application/xml");
+
+		List<GridFSDBFile> result = operations.find(query(whereContentType().is("application/xml")));
+		assertThat(result.size(), is(1));
+		assertSame(result.get(0), reference);
+	}
+
 	@Test
 	public void marshalsComplexMetadata() throws IOException {