Cultures for the ripening of smear cheeses Bockelmann, W.; Willems, K.P.; Neve, H. ...
International dairy journal,
06/2005, Volume:
15, Issue:
6
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Peer reviewed
Data on typical surface microflora of smeared semi-soft, soft and acid curd cheeses and the minimal composition of suitable surface starter cultures are reviewed. Cultures for semi-soft cheeses ...should contain
Debaryomyces hansenii, Staphylococcus equorum, Corynebacterium casei, Microbacterium gubbeenense (or
Arthrobacter nicotianae), and
Brevibacterium linens. Apart from
D. hansenii, soft cheese surface cultures should contain
Geotrichum candidum, which is responsible for the typical appearance and aroma development.
M. gubbeenense or
A. nicotianae and
B. linens are essential for soft cheese ripening, but
C. casei is not.
S. equorum, not regularly found on the surface of commercial soft cheeses, accelerated deacidification and smear development. Cultures for acid curd cheeses, produced from quarg, should contain
Kluyveromyces marxianus and
Candida krusei. Staphylococci seem to be essential for ripening.
S. equorum can replace the non-food-grade
S. saprophyticus that is always present on commercial acid curd cheeses. Suitable corynebacteria for spraying of cheeses are
B. linens and
C. variabile.
Cell numbers of presumptive lactic acid bacteria varied markedly between 7 natural whey starter cultures (NWSC) used for producing traditional cows' milk Mozzarella cheeses in the Apulia region of ...Southern Italy. Taxonomic identification revealed a large diversity at species level, including mesophilic and thermophilic lactobacilli, lactococci, streptococci and enterococci. Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR), analysis showed the biodiversity among the strains and, for lactobacilli, some relationships with provenience of the natural starter. Cell numbers of presumptive lactic acid bacteria in the corresponding Mozzarella cheeses were similar or higher than those found in the corresponding NWSC. RAPD-PCR analyses showed that most of the strains in cheese originated from the starter. The gross composition varied markedly between the 7 Mozzarella cheeses and ranged from 53−64% moisture, 17−23% protein, 13−20% fat and 0.50−1.61% salt. The values of pH for several samples were above 6.0. As shown by urea-PAGE of the pH 4.6-insoluble nitrogen fractions, cheese samples were characterized by differences in α
S1- and β-casein hydrolysis. Cheeses also differed with respect to secondary proteolysis as shown by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of data from RP-HPLC of the pH 4.6-soluble, pH 4.6–70% ethanol-soluble and 70% ethanol-insoluble nitrogen fractions. These differences were attributed to the different microbial composition of the NWSC. Strain selection and optimization of a protocol for producing a natural whey starter culture to be used by dairy factories of the Apulia region appears to be a pre-requisite to standardize the major traits distinguishing this cheese variety.
Eight hundred ninety consumers at a local food festival were surveyed about their specialty cheese purchasing behavior and asked to taste and rate, through nonforced choice preference, 1 of 4 cheese ...pairs (Cheddar and Gouda) made from pasteurized and raw milks. The purpose of the survey was to examine consumers’ responses to information on the safety of raw milk cheeses. The associated consumer test provided information about specialty cheese consumers’ preferences and purchasing behavior. Half of the consumers tested were provided with cheese pairs that were identified as being made from unpasteurized and pasteurized milk. The other half evaluated samples that were identified only with random 3-digit codes. Overall, more consumers preferred the raw milk cheeses than the pasteurized milk cheeses. A larger portion of consumers indicated preferences for the raw milk cheese when the cheeses were labeled and thus they knew which samples were made from raw milk. Most of the consumers tested considered the raw milk cheeses to be less safe or did not know if raw milk cheeses were less safe. After being informed that the raw milk cheeses were produced by a process approved by the FDA (i.e., 60-d ripening), most consumers with concerns stated that they believed raw milk cheeses to be safe. When marketing cheese made from raw milk, producers should inform consumers that raw milk cheese is produced by an FDA-approved process.
This study aimed to evaluate and classify some of the main traditional Brazilian semi‐hard cheeses, using multivariate tools to determine possible denomination fraud. Fifty‐six samples of Minas ...Artisanal (MA), Colonial (AC), Minas Padrão (MP) and Meia Cura (MC) cheeses were analysed. All the evaluated parameters indicated high variability. PCA and HCA confirmed two groupings (AC and MP; and MA and MC) with high similarity. The DD‐SIMCA method classified the cheeses with 83% accuracy. AC (48%) and MA (20%) cheeses were the most well classified in their respective denomination. These results were efficient in classifying groups and demonstrating the lack of authenticity regarding the denominations of these cheeses.
Authenticity of artisanal cheeses.
In this study
Listeria monocytogenes (
L. monocytogenes) was isolated from three traditionally consumed Lebanese dairy-based food products. One hundred and sixty four samples (45 samples of Baladi ...cheese, 36 samples of Shankleesh and 83 of Kishk) were collected from the Bekaa Valley in the Northeast region of Lebanon. Suspected
Listeria colonies were selected and initially identified by using standard biochemical tests. Initial identification of the positive
L. monocytogenes colonies was confirmed at the molecular level by Polymerase Chain Reaction (
n
=
30) and the confirmed isolates were evaluated for their susceptibility to 10 commonly used antimicrobials. All of the 30 isolates were confirmed to be
L. monocytogenes yielding a PCR product of ∼
660 base pairs (bp).
L. monocytogenes was detected in 26.67%, 13.89% and 7.23% of the Baladi cheese, Shankleesh and Kishk samples, respectively. The highest resistance in
L. monocytogenes isolates was noted against oxacillin (93.33%) followed by penicillin (90%). The results provide an indication of the contamination levels of dairy-based foods in Lebanon and highlight the emergence of multi-drug resistant
Listeria in the environment.
The cheese microbial ecosystem is complex, and the presence of non-starter adventitious microorganisms in milk may have an influence on the organoleptic characteristics of cheese. The aim of this ...study was to analyze the composition and diversity of the fungal flora of raw milk destined for cheesemaking from 19 dairy farms in Quebec and to monitor their evolution throughout ripening. Six hundred ten yeast and mold isolates were collected from raw milk and raw milk cheeses over a 9-month period. Based on the sequences of the rDNA ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region, 67% of the raw milk isolates were yeasts, which were assigned to 37 species across 11 genera, while 33% were molds, which were assigned to 33 species across 25 genera. A semi-quantitative analysis of the yeasts and molds in the raw milk from four farms was performed over a 5-month period. The composition and diversity of the fungal microflora were totally different for each farm, each of which had a unique species profile. To determine whether adventitious yeast strains from the milk could develop in raw milk cheese, a multilocus-sequence-typing (MLST) analysis was performed on 13 Issatchenkia orientalis (syn. Pichia kudriavzevii, anamorph: Candida krusei) isolates. The same MLST genotypes were identified for strains independently isolated from raw milk and raw milk cheese from a farm processing its own milk. This study contributes to the understanding of the natural fungal microflora of raw milk and suggests that non-starter yeasts and molds can transfer from raw milk to raw milk cheese and may influence cheese ripening.
Background: Calcium from different dairy sources might affect blood lipids and fecal fat excretion differently because of differences in the food matrix and nutritional composition.Objective: We ...investigated whether milk- and cheese-based diets with similar calcium contents affect a saturated fatty acid–induced increase in blood lipids differently.Design: Fifteen healthy, young men participated in a randomized 3 × 2-wk crossover study in which the following 3 isocaloric diets that were similar in fat contents and compositions were compared: control diet nondairy diet (∼500 mg Ca/d), milk diet semiskimmed milk–based diet (1700 mg Ca/d), and cheese diet semihard cow-cheese–based diet (1700 mg Ca/d). Blood was drawn before and after each period, and feces were collected for 5 d during each period.Results: Saturated fatty acid–induced increases in total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were lower with the milk diet (mean ± SD: 0.57 ± 0.13 and 0.53 ± 0.11 mmol/L, respectively) (P < 0.01) and cheese diet (0.41 ± 0.15 and 0.47 ± 0.12 mmol/L, respectively) (P < 0.05) than with the control diet (0.89 ± 0.12 and 0.84 ± 0.11 mmol/L, respectively). Fecal fat excretion increased more with the consumption of both the milk (5.2 ± 0.4 g/d) and cheese (5.7 ± 0.4 g/d) diets than with the control diet (3.9 ± 0.3 g/d) (P < 0.001). Changes in blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and lipid ratios did not differ.Conclusions: Compared with the control diet, milk- and cheese-based diets attenuated saturated fatty acid–induced increases in total and LDL cholesterol and resulted in increased fecal fat excretion; however, effects of milk and cheese did not differ. Because the diets contained similar amounts of saturated fat, similar increases in total and LDL cholesterol could be expected; however, both milk and cheese attenuated these responses, which seem to be explained by their calcium contents. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01317251.
This review presents the technological hurdles involved in the development and stability of probiotic cheeses. Firstly, the potential of cheese as a food probiotic carrier is discussed, emphasizing ...its advantages, when compared to fermented milks and yogurts. Fresh cheese and ripened cheeses are also discussed, and questions concerning the viability of probiotic cultures in these foods are considered. Overall, the manufacture of probiotic cheese should have minimum changes when compared to traditional products. In addition, the physico-chemical parameters that influence the quality of these products must be measured, aiming at process optimization.
► Transfer of essential (Cu, Zn) and non essential (Pb, Cd) elements from raw milk to Comté cheese were studied. ► Comté is a Protected Designation of Origin pressed cooked cheese made with ...unpasteurised milk. ► Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd concentrations were low in milk and significantly higher in Comté cheese. ► Pb and Cd concentrations in Comté cheese remain largely below those dangerous for consumers. ► Comté cheese may be an useful source of Cu and Zn in human diet.
As part of a program to assess the transfer of metals from soil to dairy products, the transfer of metal trace elements to milk and cheese was studied. Concentrations of non-essential (Cd and Pb) and essential elements (Cu and Zn) were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry in 61 samples of raw milk and 21 of the corresponding cheese. While metal concentrations (dry weight) in raw milk were very low (Cd: 0.34–1.01
ng/g; Pb: 0.009–0.126
μg/g; Cu: 0.28–1.71
μg/g; Zn: 20.62–30.96
μg/g), concentrations in the corresponding cheese were significantly higher (Cd: 0.68–11.37
ng/g; Pb: 0.020–0.925
μg/g; Cu: 5.35–21.34
μg/g; Zn: 33.66–63.41
μg/g). The retention factor
R
t suggests a concentration effect during the cheese making process, especially in the case of Cu, due to the use of large copper vats. Concentrations of non-essential elements (Cd and Pb) in cheese largely remained below those considered as dangerous for consumers. Finally, Comté cheese may constitute a useful source of Cu and Zn in human diet.
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•Lactic acid bacteria from artisanal dairy products of the Western Balkan were tested.•White brined, fresh and hard cheeses, yogurt, cream and kajmak were analyzed.•Over 3000 isolates ...were characterized and 28 species were identified.•Many strains had one, two or more probiotic properties.
The aim of this review was to summarize the data regarding diversity of non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB) isolated from various artisanal dairy products manufactured in Western Balkan Countries. The dairy products examined were manufactured from raw cow's, sheep's or goat's milk or mixed milk, in the traditional way without the addition of commercial starter cultures. Dairy products such as white brined cheese, fresh cheese, hard cheese, yogurt, sour cream and kajmak were sampled in the households of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. It has been established that the diversity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from raw milk artisanal dairy products is extensive. In the reviewed literature, 28 LAB species and a large number of strains belonging to the Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus, Leuconostoc and Weissella genera were isolated from various dairy products. Over 3000 LAB strains were obtained and characterized for their technological and probiotic properties including: acidification and coagulation of milk, production of aromatic compounds, proteolytic activity, bacteriocins production and competitive exclusion of pathogens, production of exopolysaccharides, aggregation ability and immunomodulatory effect. Results show that many of the isolated NSLAB strains had one, two or more of the properties mentioned. The data presented emphasize the importance of artisanal products as a valuable source of NSLAB with unique technological and probiotic features important both as a base for scientific research as well as for designing novel starter cultures for functional dairy food.