Table 1.
Results of microbiological and compositional analyses in raw milk and cheese at production and at different ripening stages in Toma cheese (producer A).
| Sample | TMC | E. coli | Enterobacteriaceae | CPS | Lactic acid streptococci | Lactobacilli | pH | Aw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw milk (Log CFU/mL) | 5.4±0.2 | n.d | 3.9 | 3.1±0.2 | 5.1±0.6 | 4.2±0.4 | 6.8 | - |
| Milk at 38°C (Log CFU/mL) | 6.8±0.4 | 1.5±0.4 | 4.6±0.5 | 3.3±0.4 | 6.5±0.4 | 5.6±1.1 | 6.8 | - |
| Curd (Log CFU/g) | 7.9±0.5 | 2.8±0.2 | 5.2±0.7 | >5.0 | 8.3±0.5 | 6.9±1.5 | 6.2 | - |
| Cheese 7 days (Log CFU/g) | 8.4±0.05 | 3.4±0.9 | 5.3±0.7 | >5.0 | >8.2 | 8.1±0.2 | 5.5 | 0.970 |
| Cheese 30 days (Log CFU/g) | >8.5 | 1.9±1.6 | 2.3±1.4 | 4.6±0.7 | >8.2 | >8.2 | 5.4 | 0.969 |
| Cheese 60 days (Log CFU/g) | >8.5 | 2.0±0.6 | 2.3±0.6 | 2.9±0.5 | >8.2 | >8.2 | 5.5 | 0.963 |
| Cheese 90 days (Log CFU/g) | >8.5 | n.d | 2.8±0.3 | 2.5±1.3 | >8.2 | >8.2 | 5.6 | 0.968 |
TMC, total microbial count; CPS, coagulase-positive staphylococci; Aw, water activity; CFU, colony forming units.
°Staphylococcal enterotoxins: not detectable. Results are expressed as mean±standard deviation.