Table 2.
Results of microbiological and compositional analyses in raw milk and cheese at production and at different ripening stages in Toma cheese (producer B).
| Sample | TMC | E. coli | Enterobacteriaceae | CPS | Lactic acid streptococci | Lactobacilli | pH | Aw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw milk (Log CFU/mL) | 5.9±0.5 | 1.0 | 4.1±1.0 | 2.2±0.6 | 5.1±0.4 | 4.5±0.7 | 6.8 | - |
| Milk at 38°C (Log CFU/mL) | 6.7±1.2 | 1.6±0.6 | 4.6±0.9 | 2.9±0.7 | 6.0±1.6 | 5.8±1.6 | 6.7 | - |
| Curd (Log CFU/g) | 6.5±1.3 | 2.4±1.3 | 3.8±1.2 | 3.2±0.6 | 5.9±1.7 | 5.7±1.5 | 6.8 | - |
| Cheese 7 days (Log CFU/g) | >8.5 | 4.6±0.5 | 6.2±0.2 | 4.8±0.9 | >8.2 | >8.2 | 5.1 | 0.979 |
| Cheese 30 days (Log CFU/g) | 8.3±0.3 | 4.2±0.5 | 5.0±1.1 | 3.1±1.6 | 7.8±0.3 | 7.6±0.5 | 5.5 | 0.967 |
| Cheese 60 days (Log CFU/g) | 7.9±0.4 | 3.0±1.2 | 3.8±0.2 | 1.6 ±0.01 | 7.6±0.2 | 7.9±0.2 | 5.7 | 0.931 |
| Cheese 90 days (Log CFU/g) | 7.8±0.4 | 2.0±1.2 | 2.7±1.1 | 1.5±0.9 | 7.3±0.4 | 7.8±0.1 | 5.7 | 0.948 |
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.