Diagnosis of the sanitary quality of artisan cheese factories in Salinas, San Luis Potosi

The objective of this work was to evaluate the microbiological load of total coliforms (TCs), Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. in milk and fresh cheeses as indicators of process practices carried out in cheese dairies of different localities in the region of Salinas, San Luis Potosi. Fifteen establishments were sampled, milk and cheese samples were obtained, and they underwent a milk composition and microbiological analysis. Sixty-five percent of the production units do not pasteurize the milk, or they use natural rennet. The highest counts in milk were 42 x 10(9) and 40 x 10(9) CFU/ml for S. aureus and TCs, respectively. For cheese, the counts were 32 x 10(9) and 26 x 10(9) CFU/g for S. aureus and TCs, respectively. In addition, the presence of Salmonella was detected in milk and cheese. The lack of hygiene in the utensils and equipment in which the cheeses are made, as well as the use of natural rennet, can be a risk to the health of the consumer.

Automated summary

The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbiological load of total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp. in milk and fresh cheeses as indicators of process practices carried out in cheese dairies in the Salinas region. The results showed that the use of natural rennet and the lack of hygiene in utensils and equipment posed a risk to consumer health.