Evaluación de las Condiciones Higiénico-Sanitarias y Seguridad Microbiológica Durante la Elaboración de Quesos Artesanales de Leche Cruda

MSc Thesis presented at University of Cordoba, Spain. ABSTRACT: The interest of consumers for traditional cheeses has been increasing on the basis of an industrialization of the cheese sector. The evaluation of hygienic-sanitary conditions of these products is essential as microorganisms contributes to their organoleptic properties and authenticity. A microbiological survey was performed in two artisan factories of raw goat milk cheeses, namely A and B, located in Andalusia (Spain), in terms of quality and food safety. The results showed higher total aerobic mesophilic, total coliform, Staphylococcus spp., lactic acid bacteria and yeasts and moulds counts in raw milk provided by factory A, while counts observed in cheeses provided by factory A were lower in comparison with cheeses from factory B. The microbiological evaluation of food-contact surfaces of both producers showed higher microbial loads on conveyor belts, cutters and brine and raw milk tanks, indicating that optimized hygienic and disinfection protocols are needed. In addition, the presence of Staphylococcus aureus strains was confirmed in samples from both factories, elucidating the high incidence of this pathogen on artisan cheeses. Finally, the results obtained in this study are very useful for the identification of risk factors associated with microbial contamination during the production of artisan cheeses.