Microbiological and Compositional Characteristics of Çeçil Cheese Collected from Households in Erzurum, Turkey

Abstract

The objective of this work is to determine the microbiological and

chemical characteristics of Çeçil cheese. A total of 15 samples of Çeçil

cheese were collected from individual households in Erzurum, Turkey.

In the samples, average of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast and

moulds, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Staphylococcus aures were determined

to be 1.6 × 10⁶, 7.0 × 10⁴, 1.8 × 10⁵, 6.4 × 10² cfu/g, respectively.

Coliform bacteria were lower than < 10 cfu/g in 86.66 % of the samples.

On the other hand, the coliform positive samples showed an average of

8.5 × 10¹ cfu/g. S. aureus were not detected in 46.66 % of Çeçil cheese

samples. One hundred and eighteen strains of lactic acid bacteria isolated

from Çeçil cheese were identified. Three genera were found: Lactobacillus

(88.13 %), Leuconostoc (5.93 %) and Pediococcus (5.93 %). Lactic

acid bacteria dominated the microflora of these samples, especially the

genera Lactobacillus. The dominant Lactobacillus species were Lb.

coryniformis subsp. coryniformis (36 strains), Lb. brevis (29 strains).

In Çeçil cheese samples analyzed, dry matter, fat, salt, total nitrogen,

pH, titratable acidity and ash values were found between 34.80 and

59.30 g/100 g cheese, 2.0 and 14.0 g/100 g cheese, 5.49 and 15.09 g/100 g

cheese, 13.40 and 31.70 g/100 g cheese, 5.35 and 4.92, 0.32 and 1.05 %,

9.37 and 18.50 g/100 g cheese, respectively.