Scientific Research Proposal for the Microbiological Safety Evaluation of Raw Milk Artisanal Cheeses Ripened for Less than 60 Days in the State of São Paulo

• Autor(a) principal: Pinto, Uelinton
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Telles, Evelise Oliveira, Campos, Gabriela Zampieri, Medeiros, Mariana Medina, Kunigk, Cynthia Jurkiewicz, Baptista, Débora Parra, Pimentel Filho, Natan de Jesus, Lacorte, Gustavo Augusto, Badaró, Andréa Cátia Leal, Rosenfeld, Andrea Mello Franco, Souza, Andreza Oliveira de, Ribeiro, Alessandra Casagrande, Tribst, Alline Artigiani Lima
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/san/article/view/8674102
• topic: Queijos artesanais; Segurança dos alimentos; Queijos maturados; Legislação de queijos; Protocolo de pesquisa científica; Quesos artesanales; Seguridad alimenticia; Quesos añejos; Legislación sobre quesos; Protocolo de investigación científica; Artisanal cheeses; Food safety; Ripened cheeses; Cheese legislation; Scientific research protocol

Introduction: In Brazil, the legislation requires a minimum ripening period of 60 days for raw milk cheeses, unless scientific evidence shows that the reduction in the ripening time does not compromise food safety, as seen with traditional artisanal cheeses from the state of Minas Gerais. In the state of Sao Paulo, where many producers have developed their own specific formulations and processes, the lack of a standardized validated research protocol for these types of cheese hinders their microbiological safety evaluation, since this type of research is costly and there are no guarantees that the parameters stablished by the researchers would be accepted by the inspection services. Objectives: To address this challenge, this proposal aims to stablish a standardized scientific research protocol for assessing the safety of raw milk cheeses ripened for less than 60 days. Methods: Based on the DIPOA (Department of Inspection of Products of Animal Origin) risk classification model for establishments, a checklist was created to categorize establishments/products, taking into consideration the product’s risk, processed volume, and the establishment’s performance assessed on the basis of good manufacturing practices. Results: The score obtained through the checklist application determines the final risk level of the product, categorized as low, medium, high, or very high, and helps determining the minimum number of samples to be evaluated monthly. Discussion: This research protocol may help producers, regulatory, inspection, and registration bodies in the legalization process of raw milk artisanal cheeses, enabling rural development and fixation of workforce in rural settings.