Caracterização físico-química e de fungos filamentosos em queijo de manteiga comercializado no estado de Alagoas

Abstract

The milk is an excellent substrate favors growth of opportunistic pathogenic fungi. The great potential of this food Is to give origin to dairy products, among which, the like-butter cheese, widely consumed in the Brazilian Northeast. Based on that, this present study aimed to characterize the physicochemical and pathogenic epiphytic microflora in like-butter cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. The study took place from April and August 2011. The experimental design was completely randomized. It was collected samples with about 0.5 Kg from five micro processins plants in the region of the rainforest and backwood area of Alagoas State. Only one brand is not registered in the Federal Inspection service or State. A brand has the seal of the Federal inspection service and three other brands the seal of the state Inspection service. The five brands samples were acquired directly in shops, packed in cool boxes containing ice packs, transported to the Laboratory Quality Control and Food – FANUT/UFAL and Plant Phytopathology, Agricultural Science Center – ECSC/UFAL, and maintained at - 18 0C for further analytical determinations. It was analyzed five brands, four replicates of each brand, comprising four different lots, totaling twenty samples. All analyzes were performed in triplicate. The physicochemical variables were analyzed (pH, moisture, fat in total solids, fat, protein, ash and chlorides) and microbiological count of the number of colony forming units (CFU) and identification of pathogens in like-butther cheese. The results revealed that among the five brands tested, three were within the standards established by Instruction No. 30 on the moisture content, but only two met the requirements for the level of fat in total solids should vary between 25% and 55%. The fungal flora revealed that the genus Aspergillus was predominant in four brands, Aspergillus flavus, the most frequent, identified in three brands. The genus Penicillium was found in two brands with the species P. italicum and P. viridicatum. The genus Fusarium has been identified only in one brand with the identification of the species F. semitectum. Other genres such as Geotrichum, Cladosporium and Rhizopus were also identified.