Raw milk cheeses from Beira Baixa, Portugal—A contributive study for the microbiological hygiene and safety assessment

Rita Mendonça, Rosália Furtado, Anabela Coelho, Cristina Belo Correia, Elena Suyarko, Vítor Borges, João Paulo Gomes, Angela Pista, Rita Batista

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Due to specific bacterial microbiota, raw milk cheeses have appreciated sensory properties. However, they may pose a threat to consumer safety due to potential pathogens presence. This study evaluated the microbiological contamination of 98 raw milk cheeses from Beira Baixa, Portugal. Presence and enumeration of Coagulase Positive Staphylococci (CPS), Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., pathogenic Escherichia coli, and indicator microorganisms (non-pathogenic E. coli and Listeria spp.) was attained. E. coli antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was also evaluated. PCR and/or Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to characterize E. coli, Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes isolates. Sixteen cheeses (16.3%) were classified as Satisfactory, 59 (60.2%) as Borderline and 23 (23.5%) as Unsatisfactory/Potential Injurious to Health. L. monocytogenes, CPS > 104 cfu g−1, Extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) and Salmonella spp. were detected in 4.1%, 6.1%, 3.1% and 1.0% of the samples, respectively. Listeria innocua (4.1%) and E. coli > 104 cfu g−1 (16.3%) were also detected. AMR E. coli was detected in 23/98 (23.5%) of the cheese samples, of which two were multidrug resistant. WGS identified genotypes already associated to human disease and Listeria spp. cluster analysis indicated that cheese contamination might be related with noncompliance with Good Hygiene Practices during cheese production.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1759-1772
Number of pages14
JournalBrazilian Journal of Microbiology
Volume55
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Apr 2024

Bibliographical note

© 2024. The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Animals
  • Bacteria/isolation & purification
  • Cheese/microbiology
  • Drug Resistance, Bacterial
  • Escherichia coli/genetics
  • Food Contamination/analysis
  • Food Microbiology
  • Food Safety
  • Humans
  • Hygiene
  • Listeria monocytogenes/genetics
  • Milk/microbiology
  • Portugal

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