| Summary: | A study was conducted to evaluate the dura- bility of the traditional fresh soft cheese <em>Fruhe</em> manufactured in Sardinia either from goats’ or sheep’s milk. Four farmstead cheese-making plants were visited three times during the <em>Fruhe</em> cheese-making season. During each visit environmental samples were collected from food contact and non-food contact sur- faces in order to evaluate the presence of <em>Enterobacteriaceae</em>, <em>Escherichia coli</em>, <em>Pseudomonas</em> spp. and <em>Listeria</em> spp. In a total of 60 environmental samples, <em>Escherichia coli</em> and <em>Listeria</em> spp. were never detected, while contamination with <em>Enterobacteriaceae</em> and <em>Pseudomonas</em> spp. was observed respectively in 48% and 43% of samples. The microbiological profile of 48 Fruhe cheese samples was assessed at different time points during the product shelf-life. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria, <em>Enterobacteriaceae</em>, <em>E. coli</em>, <em>Pseudomonas</em> spp., <em>Bacillus cereus</em> and <em>Listeria</em> monocytogenes were investigated at 0, 7, 14 and 21 days after production. <em>E. coli</em>, <em>L. monocytogenes</em> and <em>B. cereus</em> were never detected in the product. <em>Enterobacteriaceae</em> contamination was observed, showing decreasing levels over time. <em>Pseudomonas</em> spp. was recovered in only two <em>Fruhe</em> samples (3.3%) at day 0. Sensory analysis was also conducted using a triangle test to determine whether a difference between <em>Fruhe</em> samples at 14 and 21 days of shelf-life exists. Based on the evolution of the microbiological profile and the sensory attributes observed in the present study, it is reasonable to assume that the product shelf-life can be feasibly extended up to 21 days.
|
|---|