Contribution of salting on the safety assurance of artisanal “Bagaces” cheese, a Mesoamerican firm dry-salted unripe cheese

Abstract

The efficacy of salting to ensure the safety of “Bagaces” cheese was assessed. Six producers with different processing practices were visited to develop a standard processing protocol for “Bagaces” cheese making. The effect of two different salting methods (brine or dry direct salting) and two cheese geometries (block or cubes) were assessed on product pH, water activity (Aw) and salt content. Both cheese geometry and salting method significantly influence the salting kinetics (p = 0.0027 and p = 0.0187, respectively), yet based on the physicochemical properties measured and its influence on pathogens growth based on previous studies, salting may not guarantee the safety of the final product as a critical measure of control since the growth of reference pathogens is likely to occur. Therefore, milk pasteurization, refrigeration during cheese storage and distribution, and strict application of good manufacturing practices are required for the safety assurance of this artisanal Mesoamerican cheese.