Abstract
Description of the subject. Cheese is a vector of Listeria monocytogenes. By default, European Commission imposes its absence in cheese before sales, but fixes pH and water activity thresholds below which it cannot grow. Objectives. To study pH and water activity of Belgian cheeses and the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in these products. Method. Salt content, pH and water activity of 134 cheeses were determined. Absence of L. monocytogenes in 25 g of cheese was also checked. Results. Three samples had pH or water activity under threshold values from regulation. Nevertheless, all unripened cheeses were acid in comparison with data from foreign countries. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from 1.49% of the samples. Conclusions. Belgian artisanal cheeses could allow the growth of L. monocytogenes, and the bacterium was isolated from two samples. Further experiments should be performed to understand the fate of the pathogen in these products.
Highlights
Each Belgian eats 14.5 kg of cheese per year (Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, 2018)
Cheese can be the vector of Listeria monocytogenes Murray et al, which is responsible for listeriosis, a foodborne disease of which 2,549 cases were reported in Europe in 2018
Given that most Belgian artisanal cheeses have pH > 4.4 and/or aw > 0.92, they should be considered as allowing L. monocytogenes to grow, following Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005
Summary
Each Belgian eats 14.5 kg of cheese per year (Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada, 2018). Considering the risk for food safety, criteria regarding the presence of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods are strict, especially before sales by the producer (Table 1, European Commission, 2005). This bacterium is known to be able to survive or even to grow into a lot of cheeses, including brie, camembert, cottage cheese, gorgonzola and saint-nectaire (Gérard et al, 2018). A first step was to focus on the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in Belgian artisanal cheeses. Their pH and aw were investigated and put in relation with threshold values from European Regulation
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