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Bücher C, Burtscher J, Rudavsky T, Zitz U, Domig KJ. Sources of propionic acid bacteria contamination in the milking parlor environment on Alpine Dairy Farms. J Dairy Sci 2024:S0022-0302(24)00942-1. [PMID: 38908712 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2024-24752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/24/2024]
Abstract
High quality raw milk is an important prerequisite for the production of long ripened raw milk cheeses. This implies not only the absence of pathogenic microorganisms in raw milk, but also low levels of spoilage bacteria, including dairy propionic acid bacteria (dPAB), that can cause blowing and sensory defects in cheese, resulting in severe economic losses for producers. Raw milk contamination with dPAB has been primarily associated with improperly cleaned milking systems, but they have been detected in feed, soil, feces and on the teat skin. The objective of this study was to identify potential sources of raw milk contamination with dPAB in the barn and milking parlor environments. We also wanted to know more about the prevalence of the dPAB species in these environments and the levels of contamination. For this purpose, 16 small scale Alpine dairy farms were visited in August 2022: samples were taken from the barn environment (e.g., swab samples, air, feed, bedding), the milking system (swab samples, residual cleaning water, cleaning sponges, milk filters) and milk samples were collected at various sampling points along the milking system. Samples were analyzed for dPAB contamination, and results showed contamination at multiple sampling locations. We observed potential adverse effects of improperly set cleaning parameters of the milking system, as well as of farm specific practices. In addition, we identified cleaning water residues as an important source of contamination. Based on these findings, we propose potential mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of raw milk contamination with cheese spoilage bacteria, thereby contributing to a more sustainable food production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carola Bücher
- Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation (FFoQSI), Technopark 1D, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Johanna Burtscher
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Science, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Tamara Rudavsky
- Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation (FFoQSI), Technopark 1D, 3430 Tulln, Austria; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Science, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Zitz
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Science, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Konrad J Domig
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Food Science and Technology, Institute of Food Science, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
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Burtscher J, Rudavsky T, Zitz U, Domig KJ. Specificity of the AMP-6000 Method for Enumerating Clostridium Endospores in Milk. Foods 2024; 13:1192. [PMID: 38672865 PMCID: PMC11049612 DOI: 10.3390/foods13081192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Enumeration of endospores of butyric acid-forming clostridia in cheese milk is an essential part of milk quality monitoring for cheese producers to avoid late blowing, severe spoilage caused by clostridia during ripening. However, due to the lack of an internationally standardized method, different methods are used and it is important to consider how the choice of method affects the results. This is particularly relevant when clostridial spore counts in milk are considered for quality payments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the specificity of the AMP-6000 method for the enumeration of endospores of cheese spoiling clostridia in milk. First, to assess the prevalence of Clostridium diversity and to determine potential non-target species, we identified isolates from positive reactions of the AMP-6000 method used to quantify clostridial endospores in raw milk and teat skin samples by MALDI-TOF MS. Based on these results, a strain library was designed to evaluate method inclusivity and exclusivity using pure cultures of target and non-target strains according to ISO 16140-2:2016. Most target Clostridium tyrobutyricum strains, as well as all tested C. butyricum and C. sporogenes strains were inclusive. However, C. beijerinckii may be underestimated as only some strains gave positive results. All non-target strains of bacilli and lysinibacilli, but not all paenibacilli, were confirmed to be exclusive. This study provides performance data to better understand the results of microbiological enumeration of butyric acid-forming clostridia in milk and serves as a basis for future methodological considerations and improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Burtscher
- Institute of Food Science, Department of Food Science and Technology, BOKU University, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria (K.J.D.)
| | - Tamara Rudavsky
- Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation (FFoQSI), Technopark 1D, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Ulrike Zitz
- Institute of Food Science, Department of Food Science and Technology, BOKU University, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria (K.J.D.)
| | - Konrad J. Domig
- Institute of Food Science, Department of Food Science and Technology, BOKU University, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria (K.J.D.)
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Carminati D, Bonvini B, Francolino S, Ghiglietti R, Locci F, Tidona F, Mariut M, Abeni F, Zago M, Giraffa G. Low-Level Clostridial Spores' Milk to Limit the Onset of Late Blowing Defect in Lysozyme-Free, Grana-Type Cheese. Foods 2023; 12:foods12091880. [PMID: 37174418 PMCID: PMC10177814 DOI: 10.3390/foods12091880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The growth of clostridial spores during ripening leads to late blowing (LB), which is the main cause of spoilage in Grana Padano Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese and other hard, long-ripened cheeses such as Provolone, Comté, and similar cheeses. This study aimed to verify the cause-effect relationship between the level of clostridial butyric spores (BCS) in milk and the onset of the LB defect. To this end, experimental Grana-type cheeses were produced without lysozyme, using bulk milk with different average BCS content. The vat milk from the so-called "virtuous" farms (L1) contained average levels of BCS of 1.93 ± 0.61 log most probable number (MPN) L-1, while the vat milk from farms with the highest load of spores (L2), were in the order of 2.99 ± 0.69 log MPN L-1. Cheeses after seven months of ripening evidenced a strong connection between BCS level in vat milk and the occurrence of LB defect. In L2 cheeses, which showed an average BCS content of 3.53 ± 1.44 log MPN g-1 (range 1.36-5.04 log MPN g-1), significantly higher than that found in L1 cheeses (p < 0.01), the defect of LB was always present, with Clostridium tyrobutyricum as the only clostridial species identified by species-specific PCR from MPN-positive samples. The L1 cheeses produced in the cold season (C-L1) were free of defects whereas those produced in the warm season (W-L1) showed textural defects, such as slits and cracks, rather than irregular eyes. A further analysis of the data, considering the subset of the cheesemaking trials (W-L1 and W-L2), carried out in the warm season, confirmed the presence of a climate effect that, often in addition to the BCS load in the respective bulk milks (L1 vs. L2), may contribute to explain the significant differences in the chemical composition and some technological parameters between the two series of cheeses. Metagenomic analysis showed that it is not the overall structure of the microbial community that differentiates L1 from L2 cheeses but rather the relative distribution of the species between them. The results of our trials on experimental cheeses suggest that a low-level BCS in vat milk (<200 L-1) could prevent, or limit, the onset of LB in Grana-type and similar cheeses produced without lysozyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Domenico Carminati
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Barbara Bonvini
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Salvatore Francolino
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Roberta Ghiglietti
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Francesco Locci
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Flavio Tidona
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Monica Mariut
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Fabio Abeni
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Miriam Zago
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Giorgio Giraffa
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture (CREA-ZA), Via Lombardo 11, 26900 Lodi, Italy
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Andrighetto C, Spolaor D, De Dea P, Fioravanzo E, Brazzale P, De Battista M, Dolci E, Maccà F, Sperotto D, Lombardi A. Comparison of two analytical methods for detecting Clostridium spores in milk. Int Dairy J 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.idairyj.2023.105649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
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Secchi G, Amalfitano N, Carafa I, Franciosi E, Gallo L, Schiavon S, Sturaro E, Tagliapietra F, Bittante G. Milk metagenomics and cheese-making properties as affected by indoor farming and summer highland grazing. J Dairy Sci 2022; 106:96-116. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Morandi S, Silvetti T, Brasca M. Content and spatial distribution of dairy-related Clostridium spores in Grana Padano cheese during the ripening period. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Esteban M, Díaz C, Navarro J, Pérez M, Calvo M, Mata L, Galán-Malo P, Sánchez L. Detection of butyric spores by different approaches in raw milks from cow, ewe and goat. Food Control 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Peruzy MF, Blaiotta G, Aponte M, De Sena M, Murru N. Late blowing defect in <em>Grottone</em> cheese: detection of clostridia and control strategies. Ital J Food Saf 2022; 11:10162. [PMID: 35832040 PMCID: PMC9272082 DOI: 10.4081/ijfs.2022.10162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
“Grottone” is a pasta filata hard cheese produced in Campania region from cow’s milk and characterized by holes formation due to CO2 development by Propionic Acid Bacteria. The contamination of raw milk with butyric acid-producing spore-forming clostridia represent a major concern for cheese producers since clostridia outgrowth may lead to the cheese late blowing defect during ripening. Detection of clostridial endospores in milk before processing and the use of antimicrobial compounds may represent an important control strategy. The present study is aimed to point out the most suitable procedure for the determination of clostridial spores in dairy samples, and to assess the inhibitory activity of several antimicrobial compounds against Cl. sporogenes. Based on results, MPN counts on Bryant and Burkey medium and CFU on RCM proved to be the most suitable protocols for routine testing. By using these procedures clostridial spores were detected in 10 out 13 milk samples and in all cheeses with late blowing defect. Within antimicrobial compounds, sodium nitrate is still the best choice for preventing late blowing, nevertheless a protective culture of Lacticaseibacillus casei proved to be a promising alternative. Nevertheless, the use of this protective culture in six Grottone cheese productions carried out at farm level, led to unsatisfactory results. Holes’ development was hampered likely for an inhibition of the PAB starter and the expected ‘Grouviera-type’ taste was not perceived by panellists. Based on results, the use of protective cultures needs to be contextualized and interactions with starters needs to be evaluated case by case.
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Morandi S, Battelli G, Silvetti T, Tringali S, Nunziata L, Villa A, Acquistapace A, Brasca M. Impact of salting and ripening temperatures on late blowing defect in Valtellina Casera PDO cheese. Food Control 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Podrzaj L, Burtscher J, Küller F, Domig KJ. Strain-Dependent Cheese Spoilage Potential of Clostridium tyrobutyricum. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8111836. [PMID: 33266400 PMCID: PMC7700369 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8111836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium tyrobutyricum, a Gram-positive, anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium, is considered as one of the main causative agents for spoilage of hard and semihard cheeses. Growth of C. tyrobutyricum in cheese is critically influenced by ripening temperature and time, pH, salt and lactic acid concentration, moisture and fat content, and the presence of other microorganisms. Previous studies revealed high intraspecies diversity of C. tyrobutyricum strains and variable tolerance toward pH, temperatures, and salt concentrations. These findings indicate that strain-dependent characteristics may be relevant to assess the risk for cheese spoilage if clostridial contamination occurs. In this study, we aimed to compare the phenotypes of 12 C. tyrobutyricum strains which were selected from 157 strains on the basis of genotypic and proteotypic variability. The phenotypic analysis comprised the assessment of gas production and organic acid concentrations in an experimental cheese broth incubated at different temperatures (37, 20, and 14 °C). For all tested strains, delayed gas production at lower incubation temperatures and a strong correlation between gas production and the change in organic acid concentrations were observed. However, considering the time until gas production was visible at different incubation temperatures, a high degree of heterogeneity was found among the tested strains. In addition, variation among replicates of the same strain and differences due to different inoculum levels became evident. This study shows, that, among other factors, strain-specific germination and growth characteristics should be considered to evaluate the risk of cheese spoilage by C. tyrobutyricum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucija Podrzaj
- Institute of Food Science, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; (L.P.); (F.K.); (K.J.D.)
- Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation (FFoQSI GmbH), Technopark 1C, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Johanna Burtscher
- Institute of Food Science, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; (L.P.); (F.K.); (K.J.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +43-1-47654-75456
| | - Franziska Küller
- Institute of Food Science, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; (L.P.); (F.K.); (K.J.D.)
- Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation (FFoQSI GmbH), Technopark 1C, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Konrad J. Domig
- Institute of Food Science, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 1190 Vienna, Austria; (L.P.); (F.K.); (K.J.D.)
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