Search results for "traditional cheese"
showing 10 items of 17 documents
Improvement of Raw Milk Cheese Hygiene through the Selection of Starter and Non-Starter Lactic Acid Bacteria: The Successful Case of PDO Pecorino Sic…
2021
This review article focuses on the technological aspects and microbiological critical points of pressed-cooked cheeses processed from raw ewe’s milk without the inoculation of starter cultures, in particular “Pecorino” cheese typology produced in Italy. After showing the composition of the biofilms adhering to the surface of the traditional dairy equipment (mainly wooden vat used to collect milk) and the microbiological characteristics of PDO Pecorino Siciliano cheese manufactured throughout Sicily, this cheese is taken as a case study to develop a strategy to improve its hygienic and safety characteristics. Basically, the natural lactic acid bacterial populations of fresh and ripened chees…
Microbial Activation of Wooden Vats Used for Traditional Cheese Production and Evolution of Neoformed Biofilms.
2016
ABSTRACT Three Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris strains were used to develop ad hoc biofilms on the surfaces of virgin wooden vats used for cheese production. Two vats (TZ) were tested under controlled conditions (pilot plant), and two vats (TA) were tested under uncontrolled conditions (industrial plant). In each plant, one vat (TA1 and TZ1) was used for the control, traditional production of PDO Vastedda della Valle del Belìce (Vastedda) cheese, and one (TA2 and TZ2) was used for experimental production performed after lactococcal biofilm activation and the daily addition of a natural whey starter culture (NWSC). Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses showed differenc…
A large factory-scale application of selected autochthonous lactic acid bacteria for PDO Pecorino Siciliano cheese production
2016
The main hypothesis of this study was that the autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) selected for their dairy traits are able to stabilize the production of PDO (Protected Denomination of Origin) Pecorino Siciliano cheese, preserving its typicality. The experimental plan included the application of a multi-strain lactic acid bacteria (LAB) culture, composed of starter (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CAG4 and CAG37) and non starter (Enterococcus faecalis PSL71, Lactococcus garviae PSL67 and Streptococcus macedonicus PSL72) strains, during the traditional production of cheese at large scale level in six factories located in different areas of Sicily. The cheese making processes were foll…
Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance and virulence of enterococci from equipment surfaces, raw materials and traditional cheeses
2016
Forty enterococci isolated along the production chains of three traditional cheeses (PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Vastedda della Valle del Belìce, and Caciocavallo Palermitano) made in Sicily (southern Italy) were studied for the assessment of their antibiotic resistance and virulence by a combined phenotypic/genotypic approach. A total of 31 Enterococcus displayed resistance to at least one or more of the antimicrobials tested. The strains exhibited high percentages of resistance to erythromycin (52.5%), ciprofloxacin (35.0%), quinupristin–dalfopristin (20.0%), tetracycline (17.5%), and high-level streptomycin (5.0%). The presence of tet(M), cat(pC221), and aadE genes for resistance to tetr…
A Multivariate Approach to Study the Bacterial Diversity Associated to the Wooden Shelves Used for Aging Traditional Sicilian Cheeses.
2022
The present study was carried to correlate the microbial diversity of the biofilms developed on the wooden boards used for aging traditional Sicilian cheeses with cheese typology. To this end, the microbial diversity of the shelves in contact with the cheeses PDO Pecorino Siciliano, PDO Piacentinu Ennese, and TAP Caciocavallo Palermitano, during ripening, was evaluated by a multivariate statistical approach. The shelf biofilms of this study were previously analyzed for their microbial composition, but no correlation between biodiversity and cheese type was investigated. Canonical discriminant analysis confirmed a cheese typology effect on the microbial loads of the wooden shelves investigat…
Selected lactic acid bacteria as a hurdle to the microbial spoilage of cheese: Application on a traditional raw ewes' milk cheese
2013
To evaluate the efficacy of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to improve the hygienic safety of a traditional raw milk cheese, the raw ewes’ milk protected denomination of origin (PDO) Pecorino Siciliano cheese was used as a model system. Different Pecorino Siciliano curds and cheeses were used as sources of autochthonous LAB subsequently used as starter and non-starter LAB. These were screened for their acidification capacity and autolysis. Starter LAB showing the best performance were genotypically differentiated and identified: two strains of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis were selected. From the nonstarter LAB, Enterococcus faecalis, Lactococcus garvieae and Streptococcus macedonicus strains…
An overview of the microbiological characteristics of the wooden shelves used in cheese ripening
2022
Cheese ripening is a complex phenomenon affected by several factors. Among these, the influence of the wooden shelves used for aging traditional cheeses is underrated. The surfaces of the wooden boards are in contact with cheese rind for the entire ripening period and develop a microbial community. The aims of this review article is to provide an overview on the microbiological approaches applied to study the biofilms associated to the wooden tools used for dairy productions and to summarize the studies specifically performed on the wooden shelves used to ripen traditional cheeses. A critical discussion is focused on the hygienic aspects and the safety of these systems applied in cheese pro…
Nutritional profile of Ager cheese selection
2021
Food labels are the main method to ensure that consumers are appropriately informed as regards the food they consume. In Europe, the provision of food information to consumers is regulated by specific laws, including (i) the European Regulation (EU) no 1169/2011, which regulates the mandatory food information including a list of mandatory particulars and nutritional declarations and (ii) the European Regulation (CE) no 1924/2006, concerning the voluntary nutrition and health claims (NHC) made on foods. Nutrient profiling involves the classification and ranking of foods according to their nutritional composition to prevent disease and promote health. For this purpose, the following 14 cheese…
Preliminary Evaluation of the Influence of Traditional Dairy Plant Equipment on the Microbiological Quality of “Caciocavallo Palermitano” Cheese
2010
Caciocavallo Palermitano” is a raw cows’ milk cheese produced within Palermo province (Sicily), processed according to “pasta-filata” cheese technology without starter addition. Production flow-sheet includes a 15-minute milk bulk resting in “tina”, the traditional wooden vat used for cheese-making. This study was aimed to evaluate the influence of traditional equipment on the characteristics of cheese; at this stage, it was forwarded to the characterization of the microbiological populations of “Caciocavallo Palermitano” during each step of manufacturing. Two milk bulks (A and B), from different farming systems, were compared before and after resting in tina. After delivery at dairy factor…
Transfer, composition and technological characterization of the lactic acid bacterial populations of the wooden vats used to produce traditional stre…
2015
The biofilms of 12 wooden vats used for the production of the traditional stretched cheeses Caciocavallo Palermitano and PDO Vastedda della valle del Belìce were investigated. Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were never detected. Total coliforms were at low numbers with Escherichia coli found only in three vats. Coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) were below the enumeration limit, whereas lactic acid bacteria (LAB) dominated the surfaces of all vats. In general, the dominance was showed by coccus LAB. Enterococci were estimated at high numbers, but usually between 1 and 2 Log cycles lower than other LAB. LAB populations were investigated at species and strain level and for thei…