Microbiological safety and quality of Mozzarella cheese assessed by the microbiological survey method.

Dairy products are characterized by reduced shelf life because they are an excellent growth medium for a wide range of microorganisms. For this reason, it is important to monitor the microbiological quality of dairy products and, in particular, the total viable count and concentration of Escherichia coli, as they are indicators of the hygienic state of these products. In addition, in dairy products such as Mozzarella cheese, it is important to monitor the concentration of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), as they are the major components of starter cultures used in cheese production, contributing to the taste and texture of fermented products and inhibiting food spoilage bacteria by producing growth-inhibiting substances. For these reasons, to ensure the quality and safety of their products, cheese makers should monitor frequently, during fresh cheese production, the concentration of LAB and spoilage bacteria. However, usually, small- to medium-size dairy factories do not have an internal microbiological laboratory and external laboratories of analysis are often too expensive and require several days for the results. Compared with traditional methods, the microbiological survey (MBS) method developed by Roma Tre University (Rome, Italy) allows faster and less-expensive microbiological analyses to be conducted wherever they are necessary, without the need for a microbiological laboratory or any instrumentation other than MBS vials and a thermostat. In this paper, we report the primary validation of the MBS method to monitor LAB concentration in Mozzarella cheese and the analysis, using the MBS method, of total viable count, E. coli, and LAB concentrations in the production line of Mozzarella cheese as well as during the shelf life of the product stored at 20°C. The results obtained indicate that the MBS method may be successfully used by small- to medium-size dairy factories that do not have an internal microbiological laboratory. Using the MBS method, these dairy factories can monitor autonomously the microbiological safety and quality of their products, saving both time and money.

[1]  L. Varga.  Microbiological quality of commercial dairy products , 2007 .

[2]  M. Hollingsworth,et al.  Probiotics inhibit enteropathogenic E. coliadherence in vitro by inducing intestinal mucin gene expression. , 1999, American journal of physiology. Gastrointestinal and liver physiology.

[3]  A. Abraham,et al.  Technological properties of milks fermented with thermophilic lactic acid bacteria at suboptimal temperature. , 2000, Journal of dairy science.

[4]  G. Antonini,et al.  Qualitative and Quantitative Validation of the Micro Biological Survey Method for Listeria spp., Salmonella spp., Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus aureus in Food Samples , 2012 .

[5]  S. Chan,et al.  Structures and proton-pumping strategies of mitochondrial respiratory enzymes. , 2001, Annual review of biophysics and biomolecular structure.

[6]  F. Villani,et al.  Comparison of different starter systems for water-buffalo Mozzarella cheese manufacture , 1990 .

[7]  P. Marteau,et al.  Bactéries lactiques et probiotiques , 2006, Acta Endoscopica.

[8]  Luo Xiaojing.  The Cause and Effect Analysis of the Melamine Incident in China , 2011 .

[9]  M. Haque,et al.  Evaluation of quality of mozzarella cheese. , 2010 .

[10]  E. C. Slater,et al.  Keilin, Cytochrome, and the Respiratory Chain , 2003, The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

[11]  C. Latha,et al.  Quality Assurance and Public Health Safety of Raw Milk at the Production Point , 2007 .

[12]  M. Bernardeau,et al.  Isolation, characterisation and identification of lactobacilli focusing mainly on cheeses and other dairy products , 2003 .

[13]  Rodney J. Brown,et al.  Effects of Lactobacillus helveticus culture on physical properties of mozzarella cheese , 1991 .

[14]  J. H. Veld,et al.  Microbial and biochemical spoilage of foods: an overview , 1996 .

[15]  Dietmar Rieder,et al.  A novel RB E3 Ubiquitin Ligase (NRBE3) promotes cancer cell proliferation through a regulation loop with RB/E2F1 , 2013 .

[16]  P. Mandal,et al.  Manufacturing and Quality of Mozzarella Cheese: A Review , 2011 .

[17]  G. Antonini,et al.  Validation of the Micro Biological Survey Method for Total Viable Count and E. coli in Food Samples , 2011 .

[18]  A. Dirar,et al.  Evaluation of Polymerase Chain Reaction for Rapid Detection of E. coli Strains: A Preliminary Study , 2006 .

[19]  G. Suzzi,et al.  Phenotypic and genotypic diversity of yeasts isolated from water‐buffalo Mozzarella cheese , 2000, Journal of applied microbiology.

[20]  D. Ercolini,et al.  Relationships between flavoring capabilities, bacterial composition, and geographical origin of natural whey cultures used for traditional water-buffalo mozzarella cheese manufacture. , 2003, Journal of dairy science.

[21]  Kindstedt Ps.  Effect of manufacturing factors, composition, and proteolysis on the functional characteristics of mozzarella cheese. , 1993 .

[22]  P. Kindstedt.  Effect of manufacturing factors, composition, and proteolysis on the functional characteristics of mozzarella cheese. , 1993, Critical reviews in food science and nutrition.

[23]  R. D. Allshouse,et al.  Proteolysis in Mozzarella Cheese During Refrigerated Storage , 1991 .

[24]  N. M. Ibrahim,et al.  Chemical and Microbiological Evaluation of Mozzarella Cheese During Storage , 2010 .

[25]  Pamela L. Ruegg,et al.  Practical Food Safety Interventions for Dairy Production , 2003 .

[26]  Anne Marsden,et al.  International Organization for Standardization , 2014 .

[27]  T. Callaway,et al.  Forage feeding to reduce preharvest Escherichia coli populations in cattle, a review. , 2003, Journal of dairy science.

[28]  F. Luquet,et al.  Bactéries lactiques : aspects fondamentaux et technologiques , 1994 .