Abstract
The population dynamics of Staphylococcus spp. was studied during the ripening of Canastra Minas cheese at three farms located in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The presence of coagulase (coa), thermonuclease (nuc), and enterotoxin (sea, seb, sec, and sed) genes was investigated in Staphylococcus strains isolated during the 60-day cheese-ripening period. The presence of the staphylococcal enterotoxins A, C, and D was also investigated in the cheese samples. Cheese samples that were matured for 0, 7, 15, 30, and 45 days presented staphylococci counts from 10³ to 10(8)cfu/g. All isolates considered coagulase-positive by physiological tests had the coa gene. However, no association was observed between the results obtained with biochemical tests and those obtained by PCR using gene-specific primers for coagulase-negative strains. Coagulase and thermonuclease genes occurred simultaneously in 41.3% of Staphylococcus spp. tested. None of the investigated Staphylococcus strains expressed enterotoxins SEA, SEB, SEC, and SED. Enterotoxins A, C, and D were not detected in any of the cheese samples.
Highlights
The traditional Minas cheese is one of the most important varieties of cheese produced in Brazil
Canastra cheese is the original name of a variety of Minas cheese produced from raw cow milk in Serra da Canastra, a region located in the southeast of Minas Gerais State (Borelli et al, 2006a)
The cheeses that were matured for 60 days had lower counts of Staphylococcus spp
Summary
The traditional Minas cheese is one of the most important varieties of cheese produced in Brazil. Canastra cheese is the original name of a variety of Minas cheese produced from raw cow milk in Serra da Canastra, a region located in the southeast of Minas Gerais State (Borelli et al, 2006a). It is a semi-hard cheese that is made at the farm house level using traditional procedures for the last 200 years. The region produces about 375.5 tons of cheese per month. Canastra cheese presents a pale cream color that becomes yellow during the ripening process
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