Aspetti igienico-sanitari dei prodotti vegetali di IV gamma

Fresh vegetables are recommended for the daily diet because of their low caloric content, high amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Furthermore, these foods are source of various phytochemical compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids and sterols exerting antioxidant activity. Some epidemiological and clinical studies clearly showed that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables might reduce the risk of some diseases, including some forms of cancer. Modern consumers pay a great attention to the “convenience foods”, foods characterized by ease of consumption. In particular, ready-to-eat products maintain almost all characteristics of fresh harvested products. These products are minimally proce…

Effect of red wine soaking on the microbiological profile, total phenolic content and sensory aspects of an ovine pressed cheese

The aim of this study was to produce an ovine pressed cheese with high polyphenol content. To this purpose, fresh Primosale Pecorino cheese was soaked for seven days in Nero d’Avola wine (NDW) and was indicated as experimental cheese production (EP). The final cheese was characterized for its microbiological, chemical and sensory characteristics. Specifically, cheese making was performed with pasteurized ewes’ milk and a commercial starter culture. Control cheese production (CP) did not include the soaking phase in NDW. Plate counts confirmed the dominance of the commercial starter until 109 CFU/g in both CP and EP cheeses. The soaking in NDW increased cheese total phenolic compounds (TPC) …

Evolution of the lactic acid bacterial biofilms on different wood typologies applied for the production of vats intended for cheese making

The present work was carried out to evaluate the lactic acid bacterial biofilms formation on wooden vat produced with seven different woods, derived from trees species grown in Sicily. The biofilm formation on the wooden surfaces was performed as reported by Gaglio et al. Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses did not show differences in terms of microbial levels and composition within the neoformed biofilms (Fig.1). The specific investigation of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and positive-coagulase staphylococci did not generate any colony for all vats before and after microbial activation. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) populations dominated the s…

Valutazione dell'applicazione di edible coating sulla qualità dei frutti di fragola durante la frigoconservazione

Effect of the wooden vats on traditional cheese characteristics

Wooden vats have been used for centuries to collect and transform milk by farmers and cheesemakers all over the world. Nowadays, the tree species mostly used to this purpose are Douglas fir and chestnut. The use of wooden vats is mandatory for the production of all PDO Sicilian cheeses, such as Ragusano, Pecorino Siciliano, Piacentinu Ennese and Vastedda della valle del Belìce. In the last years, the wooden vats have been deeply explored for the microbiological characteristics and they are covered by biofilms mainly represented by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) entrapped in a polysaccharide matrix. These microbial associations do not include pathogenic species. Up to date, there are no studies …

Studio retrospettivo sulla qualità igienico-sanitaria delle ricotte prodotte in Sicilia

La ricotta è un prodotto lattiero caseario estremamente diffuso nei paesi del Mediterraneo ottenuto per termocoagulazione acida del siero. Scopo del lavoro è stato valutare la qualità igienico sanitaria delle ricotte siciliane mediante uno studio retrospettivo; sono stati analizzati i dati dei campioni conferiti all’ZS della Sicilia per controllo ufficiale, autocontrollo o progetti di ricerca. Dal 2002 ad oggi sono state esaminate 1295 ricotte fresche, nella maggior parte dei campioni sono stati ricercati L. monocytogenes (1156), Salmonella sp. (998), Brucella sp. (721), Stafilococchi coagulasi positivi (639) e E. coli (598). Su un numero di campioni variabile fra 98 e 371 è stata eseguita …