Table 1.
Microbial loads of ricotta samples.
| Microorganisms* | Number of samples | Positive samples | % positive samples | Mean | Min. | Max. | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TMC | 371 | 350 | 94.34 | 5.11 | 2 | 8.26 | 1.63 |
| Rod LAB (37°C) | 98 | 74 | 75.51 | 3.6 | 1.85 | 5.58 | 1.16 |
| Coccus LAB (30°C) | 98 | 82 | 83.67 | 3.73 | 2.00 | 6.83 | 1.38 |
| Coccus LAB (44°C) | 98 | 69 | 70.41 | 3.09 | 1.78 | 4.85 | 0.92 |
| Enterococci | 106 | 40 | 37.74 | 3.67 | 1.77 | 6.20 | 1.18 |
| Enterobacteriaceae | 371 | 78 | 21.02 | 3.68 | 1.43 | 7.00 | 1.26 |
| E. coli | 598 | 78 | 13.04 | 3.26 | 1.3 | 6.89 | 1.29 |
| CPS | 639 | 14 | 2.19 | 3.11 | 1.56 | 5.38 | 1.27 |
| Yeasts and moulds | 88 | 12 | 13.64 | 2.68 | 1.00 | 4.00 | 0.97 |
| B. cereus | 157 | 25 | 15.92 | 3.79 | 1.70 | 6.00 | 0.95 |
| Pseudomonas | 91 | 2 | 2.20 | 1.98 | 1.96 | 2 | 0.03 |
| SRA | 194 | 1 | 0.52 | ||||
| L. monocytogenes | 1156 | n.d. | n.d. | ||||
| Salmonella spp. | 998 | n.d. | n.d. | ||||
| Brucella spp. | 721 | n.d. | n.d. |
*Units are log CFU/g. TMC, total mesophilic microorganisms; CPS, coagulase-positive staphylococci, SRA, Sulphite reducing anaerobe; n.d. not detected; SD, standard deviation.