Mycobiota of Minas artisanal cheese: Safety and quality

Abstract

The physicochemical characteristics of ripened Queijo Minas Artesanal (QMA; Minas artisanal cheese) and the mycobiota present in the air in cheese-ripening rooms and in the QMA were evaluated. The fungal population was identified by phenotypic characterisation and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry. Physicochemical analyses showed average values of humidity, sodium chloride, fat and lactic acid were 33.6%, 0.1%, 31.1% and 2.5%, respectively, and pH 6.3. A total of 280 isolates were obtained. The main species present in the air were Penicillium commune, Scopulariopsis spp. and Fusarium solani. The most prevalent fungi in the cheese were Debaryomyces hansenii, Yarrowia lipolytica, Candida zeylanoides, Kluyveromyces lactis, Cladosporium cladosporioides (complex) and Penicillium roqueforti. Notably, the species D. hansenii, Geotrichum candidum, Y. lipolytica, C. zeylanoides and K. lactis are important for the sensory characteristics of the product. Risk species such as Aspergillus flavus that are potential producers of aflatoxins have been detected.