Microbiological quality and cultivable bacterial community of fresh and ripened Minas cheeses made from raw and pasteurised milk

The microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of 56 samples of Brazilian fresh (Minas frescal cheese, MFC) and ripened (Minas padrão cheese, MPC; Minas artisanal cheese, MAC) cheeses produced from pasteurised (MFC and MPC) or raw milk (MAC) were evaluated. Significant differences were observed between samples, with a positive emphasis on microbiological quality for MPC. MALDI-TOF MS identified a diverse bacterial community from the 808 colonies isolated from different culture media. Staphylococcus aureus (34.32%) and Escherichia coli (35.59%) were the most isolated species. The eae gene, which confers virulence on E. coli strains, was observed in 23 samples (41.07%), and in 21.05%, 27.78%, and 73.68% of MFC, MPC and MAC samples, respectively. There was no correlation between the evaluated indicators and the presence of eae-positive cheese samples. The choice of the ideal microbiological indicator must be specific, considering the physicochemical characteristics and the raw milk of the different types of cheese.