Qualidade do leite utilizado em queijarias artesanais no Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

Artisanal cheeses participate in the socio-cultural identity of people and deserve recognition. Like many artisanally produced cheeses, it is common to produce coalho and butter cheeses from raw milk. For this reason, it is essential that the raw material from dairies is of good quality to minimize risks to consumers. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of milk in artisanal cheese factories in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Fifty samples of milk in nine artisanal cheese factories were collected from areas that stand out in dairy production in the state. These samples underwent microbiological (viable strict and facultative mesophilic bacteria, total and thermotolerant coliforms, Salmonella sp., and Staphylococcus aureus) and physical-chemical analysis (titratable acidity in Dornic degrees, density, cryoscopy, stability to alizarol, and percentages of protein, lactose, and fat contents), and antibiotic residue and recurrent fraud in milk were conducted. All samples exceeded the limit established by law for mesophilic bacteria counting; Salmonella spp. was found in one sample. Given this contamination, the acidity of 76% of the samples was higher than allowed by the legislation. Regarding fat and protein parameters, 14% and 10% of the samples were below the required values by the legislation, respectively. Furthermore, there was fraud by adding water in 24% of samples. Chlorides were found in 16% and antimicrobial residues in 46% of samples. Therefore, the quality of the milk used in informal artisanal cheese making in the state of Rio Grande do Norte is poor and may pose a risk to consumers, with the loss of quality of coalho and butter cheeses