Bacteriological quality and antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus spp. and Escherichia coli isolated from organic and conventional fresh cheese

Abstract

One of the appeals of the rising organic market is the guarantee of offering healthier foods with less impact on the environment, from a more sustainable production method. Dairy market is one of the most popular in the sector but studies on organic dairy products safety are still scarce. The objective of this study was to evaluate the microbiological quality of organic and conventional Minas Frescal cheese samples, and the antimicrobial sensitivity of isolated strains of Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus to different antimicrobials. Listeria spp. and Salmonella spp. was not detected in any of the samples analyzed. Regarding coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, 70% showed higher counts than that is established by Brazilian legislation, but with no significant difference between the systems. In the determination of the Most Probable Number of E. coli was observed significant difference between the systems, with a higher contamination index in cheeses derived from the organic system. All strains isolated showed 100% resistance to β-lactams and both in the conventional and organic systems were observed multiple resistance characteristics. Considering the similarity of the results obtained, it is necessary to analyze other parameters such as production system, herd health and good manufacturing practices to compare deeply both systems.