Microbiological analysis of half-cured Minas cheese sold informally in the city of Rio Branco, AC

Abstract

The semi-cured minas cheese has a smooth flavor and pleasant texture, with good acceptance among consumers in the city of Rio Branco. Produced from raw milk and with indefinite curing time, it does not meet the minimum curing time in the production of cheeses from raw milk established in the current legislation. This research aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of 20 samples of semi-cured Minas cheese sold in the city of Rio Branco, AC. The samples were processed at the microbiology laboratory of the Food Technology Unit - UTAL, being fractionated, diluted, and inoculated in Petri dishes for standard agar counts, to estimate the amount of UFC/g of viable and mesophilic microorganisms. To determine the NMP/g of the total and thermotolerant coliforms, a multiple dilution test was performed, as a presumptive test and the confirmatory tests in Bile Brilliant Green Agar broth for total coliforms and EC broth for thermotolerant coliforms, where 70% of the samples were considered unfit for consumption, serving as an alert for the implementation of good manufacturing practices in the manufacture and regularization of their sale, since the lack of control of the production chain represents a risk to public health.