Physico-chemical characteristics of Belgian artisanal cheeses and prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in these products

Introduction Regulation (EC) N°2073/2005 demands the absence of L. monocytogenes in 25g of cheeses theoretically allowing the growth of the bacterium. It is assumed that the bacterium cannot develop if the pH is under 4.4 or if the water activity (aw) is under 0.92. Furthermore, a combination of pH<5 and aw<0.94 could also prevent its growth (1). A study was performed among Belgian artisanal cheeses in order to investigate their physico-chemical properties, as well as the prevalence of L. monocytogenes. Materials and Methods Sixty-five Belgian artisanal cheeses were collected, respecting... Mehr ...