Minas artisanal cheese, produced in the Campo das Vertentes region of Brazil, is made from raw milk and endogenous starter cultures. Although this cheese is of great historical and socioeconomic importance, little information is available about its microbiological and physical-chemical qualities, or about its beneficial microbiota. This work was aimed at evaluating the qualities of the cheese and the components used for its production, comparing samples collected during the dry and rainy seasons. We also conducted molecular identification and isolated 50 samples of lactic acid bacteria from cheese (n=21), water (n=3), raw milk (n=9), and endogenous starter culture (n=17). The microbiological quality of the cheese, water, raw milk, and endogenous starter culture was lower during the rainy period, given the higher counts of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and total and thermotolerant coliforms. Enterococcus faecalis was the lactic acid bacteria isolated most frequently (42.86%) in cheese samples, followed by Lactococcus lactis (28.57%) and Lactobacillus plantarum (14.29%). Lactobacillus brevis (5.88%), Enterococcus pseudoavium (5.88%), Enterococcus durans (5.88%), and Aerococcus viridans (5.88%) were isolated from endogenous starter cultures and are described for the first time in the literature. The lactic acid bacteria identified in the analyzed cheeses may inhibit undesirable microbiota and contribute to the safety and flavor of the cheese, but this needs to be evaluated in future research.

RESUMOO potencial probiótico in vitro de 12 amostras de bactérias ácido-láticas (11 Lactobacillus spp. e uma Weissella paramesenteroides), isoladas de queijo-de-minas artesanal da Serra da Canastra, foi investigado. Essas amostras foram caracterizadas in vitro quanto à susceptibilidade a antimicrobianos, antagonismo contra microrganismos de referência patogênicos e não patogênicos e sensibilidade a pH gástrico e sais biliares. (Gilliland, 1985).

The effects of different dietary lipids on the fatty acid profiles of eggs produced by 20- and 54-wk-old Dekalb laying hens were investigated. The 4 treatments were based on the lipid source added to the diet: soybean oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, or control (no added oil). The experimental design was a simple random-sample design using a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement (4 treatments and 2 ages). The fatty acid composition of the yolks of eggs produced by the laying hens was analyzed. The fatty acid profiles found in the egg yolks were the same as those provided in each diet. Eggs laid by hens fed the diet containing soybean oil had a large amount of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), whereas eggs laid by hens fed the diet containing linseed oil had the highest percentage of n-3 PUFA. A decrease in PUFA deposition in egg yolks was observed as the laying hens got older. Eggs of hens fed the diet containing linseed oil presented an n-6:n-3 ratio of 2.01 in younger chickens and 2.17 in older ones. The trans fat percentages found in the egg yolks of all treatments were very low. It was concluded that the quantity of fatty acids present in the egg yolk may be altered according to the source of lipids in the diets; the addition of linseed oil to the ration of laying hens resulted in the production of n-3-enriched eggs and excellent n-6:n-3 ratios, and the egg yolks had insignificant amounts of trans fat, irrespective of the different lipid sources added to the diets or the age of the chickens.

Qualidade de ovos comerciais submetidos a diferentes condições de armazenamento

Qualidade de ovos de consumo submetidos a diferentes condições de armazenamento[ RESUMOVerificou-se a qualidade interna de ovos de consumo armazenados sob diferentes condições, utilizando-se 768 ovos, provenientes de galinhas Hy-line com 40 semanas de idade. Os tratamentos foram dispostos no delineamento inteiramente casualizado em arranjo fatorial 2x4x8 (ovos embalados em filme plástico e não embalados), quatro períodos de estocagem em temperatura ambiente (zero, cinco, 10 e 15 dias) e oito períodos de armazenamento sob refrigeração (zero, cinco, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 e 35 dias). Foram avaliados os valores das Unidades Haugh (UH) e os de pH do albúmem (pH). Os valores de UH diminuíram com a estocagem, e houve uma queda mais acentuada nos ovos que permaneceram em temperatura ambiente. A embalagem das bandejas de ovos mostrou-se eficaz na preservação da qualidade interna dos ovos, pois os valores de UH mantiveram-se altos por um maior período de estocagem. Os índices de pH aumentaram com o período de armazenamento dos ovos (P≤0,05) independentemente da temperatura de estocagem e do uso da embalagem. Foi concluído que a temperatura e o tempo de armazenamento dos ovos exercem influência nos valores de UH, e que a embalagem das bandejas de ovos em filme plástico melhora a qualidade interna dos ovos.Palavras-chave: ovo, estocagem, unidade Haugh, pH do albúmen ABSTRACTThe internal quality of 768 commercial white eggs from 40-week-old Hy-Line laying hens was evaluated after storage under different conditions. The eggs were submitted to treatments in a factorial scheme of 2x4x8, being two types of package (using plastic film or not), four periods of storage (zero, five, 10, and 15 days), and eight refrigerated storage times (zero, five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 days) (Brasil, 1997) determine condições mínimas internas (câmaras de ar variando de 4 a 10mm; gemas translúcidas, firmes, consistentes e sem germe desenvolvido; claras transparentes, consistentes, límpidas, sem manchas e com as chalazas intactas), na prática, somente o peso e as características da casca têm sido considerados.