Pesquisa de coliformes totais, termotolerantes e listeria spp. em queijo minas artesanal produzido na microrregião do Triângulo Mineiro no período da seca

Abstract

The state of Minas Gerais is the largest producer of artisan cheeses in Brazil. Among the various types, the artisanal Minas cheese (QMA) stands out. Made from raw milk and following traditional techniques, it has become one of the main income generating activities for many families living in rural areas. To date, ten micro-regions traditionally producing QMA are recognized and characterized, being the Triângulo Mineiro (TM) micro-region, the study point of this work, recognized in 2014 by the Instituto Mineiro Agropecuário (IMA). The endogenous microbiota present in these cheeses is quite diverse and some microbial genera such as Listeria spp. and the total and thermotolerant coliform group (35° and 45°, respectively), when present and/or in numbers above what is allowed in the legislation, can mischaracterize the product and make it unfit for consumption. In order to determine the quality and safety of the QMAs from this microregion, a group of five producers registered in any inspection service (IMA, SIM or SIF) was selected by Emater - MG and QMAs were collected from their properties, made during the dry season (July and August) of 2021, belonging to the same manufacturing batch, with 0, 10, 14, 17 and 22 days of maturation. The objective was to evaluate the microbiological characteristics and the effect of maturation on the count of total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms and, if present, Listeria spp. The results showed that the samples of QMA from the group of TM producers for total coliforms reached the parameters required in the legislation as of the 14th day of maturation, however, when analyzing individually, in this same period, only 40% (2/5) of the producers of this microregion were within the standards. Regarding the thermotolerant coliforms, the group reached the conditions required by law for the QMAs near the 22 days and in this period only 60% (3/5) of the producers were in conformity, demonstrating, therefore, the degree of complexity in determining a single period that includes all producers in the micro-region. It is necessary that the competent bodies help and supervise the execution of the good agricultural and manufacturing practices, so that they are better established in these properties and, thus, all cheese dairies are in accordance with what the legislation recommends. The genus Listeria spp. was not detected in any of the analyzed samples.