Aspectos físico-químicos e microbiológicos do queijo tipo coalho comercializado em estados do nordeste do Brasil

Typhoid Fever and Non-typhoidal Salmonella Outbreaks: A Portrait of Regional Socioeconomic Inequalities in Brazil

Typhoid fever occurs in an endemic form in Brazil and is a serious public health problem in some regions. In this scenario, further research is urgently needed to identify the associations between socioeconomic factors and typhoid fever, contributing to guiding policy decisions in the country. We aimed to investigate the influence of socioeconomic disparities on the prevalence of typhoid fever and non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) in Brazil. A search for data from 2010 to 2019 was carried out with the national health and human development agencies. As milk and derivatives are the fourth food incriminated in food outbreaks in Brazil, analyses for detecting Salmonella spp. in commercial dairy products allowed us to assess whether the outbreaks associated with these foods are due to inadequacies in sanitary control in dairy establishments or whether they are mainly home-based outbreaks. Predictive models validated by the bootstrapping method demonstrate an association of NTS prevalence reduction with improvements in the Sanitation Service Index (Rv ≥  -8 0.686; p ≤ 0.01) and Municipal Human Development Index - MHDI - (Rv =  -0.789; p ≤ 0.02). In the North, typhoid fever prevalence had seasonal variability with the rainfall, while sanitation services (Rv ≥-0.684; p ≤ 0.04) and MHDI (Rv ≥-0.949; p ≤ 0.003) directly influenced Northeast and South Brazil. Thus, the unequal distribution of investments in the sanitation sector contributed to disparities in typhoid fever prevalence among Brazilian regions. The absence of Salmonella spp. in commercial samples ratified the collected data that the outbreaks of Salmonella spp. in the Brazilian population occur mainly at residences. These findings show that implementing public health education and increasing investments in sanitation in regions with poor service can control outbreaks of Salmonella spp. in Brazilian endemic areas.

Characterization of Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Cheeses Added with Bovine Colostrum

The objective of this study was to develop fresh and matured cheeses with different bovine colostrum levels, aiming to promote the consumption of dairy products with the addition of colostrum. Four different cheese formulations were produced with a mixture of 0:100, 15:85, 20:80, and 25:75, bovine colostrum:milk (v:v), and aged for 0, 10, 20, and 40 days. Milk, colostrum, and fresh and matured cheeses were submitted to physicochemical characterization. Moreover, microbiological quality, yield, texture profile, color, and sensory acceptance of cheese samples were evaluated. Colostrum supplementation favored low acidity, high moisture, a pH range of 5.0-6.2, and water activity of 0.94-99. Sensory attributes and overall evaluation of all cheese formulations achieved an Acceptability Index above 70, indicating good acceptability. Since cheese with colostrum presented the potential to be used as human food, assessing the presence of colostrum bioactive components in those dairy products is a promising goal for further research.

Antimicrobial Activity of Myrtus communis L. and Rosmarinus officinalis L. Essential Oils against Listeria monocytogenes in Cheese

Listeria monocytogenes has been referred to as a concern microorganism in cheese making due to its ability to survive and grow in a wide range of environmental conditions, such as refrigeration temperatures, low pH and high salt concentration at the end of the production process. Since cheese may be a potential hazard for consumers, especially high-risk consumers (e.g., pregnant, young children, the elderly, people with medical conditions), efforts of the dairy industry have been aimed at investigating new conservation techniques based on natural additives to meet consumers’ demands on less processed foods without compromising the food safety. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Myrtus communis L. (myrtle) and Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) essential oils (EO) against Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 679 spiked in sheep cheese before ripening. After the cheesemaking process, the samples were stored at 8 °C for 2 h, 1 d, 3 d, 14 d and 28 d. The composition of EO was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Constituents such as 1,8-cineole, limonene, methyl-eugenol, α-pinene, α-terpineol, α-terpinolene and β-pinene were present in both EO, accounting for 44.61% and 39.76% from the total of chemical compounds identified for myrtle and rosemary EO, respectively. According to the chemical classification, both EO were mainly composed of monoterpenes. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against L. monocytogenes was obtained at 31.25 μL/mL to myrtle EO and at 0.40 μL/mL to rosemary EO. Then, cheeses were inoculated with L. monocytogenes (Ca. 6 log CFU/mL) and EO was added at MIC value. The addition of rosemary and myrtle EO displayed lower counts of L. monocytogenes (p < 0.01) (about 1–2 log CFU/g) during the ripening period compared to control samples. Ripening only influences (p < 0.001) the growth of L. monocytogenes in control samples. Since rosemary and myrtle EO do not exert any negative impact on the growth of native microflora (p > 0.05), their use as natural antimicrobial additives in cheese demonstrated a potential for dairy processors to assure safety against L. monocytogenes.

Brazilian Artisanal Cheeses: Diversity, Microbiological Safety, and Challenges for the Sector

Artisanal cheeses made with raw milk are highly appreciated products in Brazil. Most of these cheeses are produced in small facilities across different production regions in the country, some of which have been granted a protected designation of origin and are award winners. The most prominent state that manufactures these products is Minas Gerais (MG), but production is also gaining strength in other Brazilian states. The major challenge faced by artisanal cheese production is related to microbial risks associated with foodborne pathogens when the quality of the raw milk is unsatisfactory. Regulations created for the dairy industry are constantly been revised and adapted, considering the small-scale production of Brazilian artisanal cheeses, in order to guarantee safety at all steps of cheese production and commercialization. This text presents a summary of the huge diversity of artisanal cheeses produced in the country, grouped by geographical regions, and reviews the current challenges faced by producers and government considering the safety of these cheeses.

What are the cultural effects on consumers' perceptions? A case study covering coalho cheese in the Brazilian northeast and southeast area using word association

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of regional diversity aspects related to consumers' perceptions of coalho cheese, with Brazilian Northeast and Southeast consumers (n=400, divided equally in each area) using Word Association (WA) task. Different perceptions were detected for both Northeast and Southeast consumers, and among 17 categories elicited for describing coalho cheese, only 7 categories (positive feeling, social aspects, sensory characteristic, dairy product technology, negative feeling, and lack of quality standard) presented significant differences in the frequency of mention according to chi-square per cell approach. The application of the discriminant technique Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) indicated that the categories "Social", "Accompaniment", "Manufacturing method" were the main responsible for differentiating consumers' perceptions of both areas. Overall, the main dimensions involved in the consumers' perceptions of coalho cheese from different Brazilian regions were identified, thus obtaining comprehensive insights that can be used as a guideline for coalho cheese producers to develop marketing strategies considering the intra-cultural differences.