Original scientific paper
Microbial composition of soft, semi-hard and hard cheeses from a Croatian market
Gabriela Barun
Vesna Dobranić
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Ivana Filipović
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Krešimir Severin
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Jozo Grbavac
; The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology (APTF), University of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nevijo Zdolec
orcid.org/0000-0001-7413-8115
; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The microbiological quality of soft (n=7), semi-hard (n=9) and hard cheeses (n=20) from retail sale was studied. The number of enterococci, staphylococci, lactic acid bacteria, yeast and moulds, aerobic mesophylic bacteria, enterobacteria, E. coli and L. monocytogenes were determined. The LAB count ranged 6–7 log CFU/g, enterococci 3.5–4.5 log CFU/g and coagulase-negative staphylococci 3.5 log CFU/g. The yeast and mould count was equal in both semi-hard and hard cheeses (3 log CFU/g), and the 3 log higher in soft cheeses. Escherichia coli exceeded the recommended microbiological criteria in one soft and one hard cheese (5.5%). Enterobacteria were recovered from 3 semi-hard cheeses (33.3 %), 5 hard cheeses (25 %) and 5 soft cheeses (71.4 %), indicating poor raw milk quality, low pasteurization effect or re-contamination of final products. L. monocytogenes counts were below 100 CFU/g in all samples. The results obtained show an appropriate level of microbiological safety, however the presence of contaminating bacteria indicates poor hygienic practices in cheese production or distribution.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
231380
URI
Publication date:
12.12.2016.
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