Diversidade de fungos filamentosos e leveduras em Queijo Minas Artesanal das microrregiões do Serro e da Serra da Canastra

Abstract

Minas Gerais is the main state producing artisanal cheeses in Brazil. The production of this product using raw milk and endogenous inoculum (pingo) combines geographic characteristics and the typical way of doing of the region, still based on old techniques absent or limited in mechanical processes, usually within the context of the family agriculture, is important both for income generation and for its sociocultural connotation. Little is known about the microbiological profile of this cheese in what comprises the filamentous fungi and yeasts that characterize the terroir of the producing regions, being important to know the effects of such microorganisms in the maturation of the product. The objective of this study was to determine the diversity of the mycobiota terroir related to the maturation process of the Artisanal Minas Cheese produced in the micro-regions of Serro and Serra da Canastra, as well as to correlate the species identified with the physical and chemical characteristics of the product. For the Serro microregion, we also considered the climate and humidity (wet summer and dry winter). The samples from the Serro region were different in terms of fungal and yeast diversity, and the summer / wet period sample presented diversity, mainly from typical filamentous fungi. The predominant filamentous fungi were those belonging to the genus Paecilomyces, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Microascus, Acremonium and Cladosporium cladosporioides complex species. None of the toxoids tested showed a positive test for mycotoxin production; in relation to yeasts, the most prevalent genera were Candida, Kodamaea, Torulaspora, Trichosporon and Kluyveromyces. In the physical-chemical parameters, both samples were similar. For the Serra da Canastra microregion, the A2 sample had a higher yeast diversity and A3 sample, a greater diversity of filamentous fungi besides a greater mycological diversity in general. The predominant filamentous fungi belonged to the genus Paecilomyces, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Geotrichum, Microascus and Acremonium, and only the A3 sample showed 8 isolates of the A. ochraceus species from a total of 12 isolates with positive test for Ochratoxin A production; for yeasts the most prominent genera were Torulaspora, Debaryomyces, Kodamaea, Geotrichum, Trichosporon and Candida. In the physical-chemical parameters, there was a statistical difference among the samples as an exception of the percentage of sodium chloride. The identified species allowed to know more about the microbial communities.