Bacterial contamination in curd cheese sold in the northeastern region of South America

Resumo

The present study evaluated the microbiological and sanitary quality of curd cheese sold on the beaches of the Itaparica Island, Brazil, and verified whether a correlation exists between the commercialization conditions and the microbiological data. The research was performed between December 2015 and March 2017. Sixty samples of rennet-containing cheese were collected to estimate the populations of mesophylls, psychrotrophic microorganisms, mold and yeast, Staphylococcus aureus, total coliforms, and Escherichia coli. An observational analysis was performed during the collection, using a checklist to verify the sellers’ sanitary conditions and cheese marketing. A high nonconformity index was registered regarding aspects in the checklist. In the microbiological analyses, the number of mesophylls in raw and roasted samples ranged 7,88–14,82 log CFU/mL, and those of psychrotrophs ranged 2,80–3,84 log CFU/mL. Meanwhile, mold and yeast levels in the samples ranged 8,06–5,54 log CFU/mL, S. aureus was detected at levels of 3,24–4,94 log CFU/mL, and the total coliform counts ranged 4,48–7,18 log CFU/mL. The number of E. coli specimens ranged 2,96–5,75 log CFU/mL. Microbial insecurity was noted for commercialized curd cheese, and the need for intervention was indicated.