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Review
. 2021 Apr 20:12:666922.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.666922. eCollection 2021.

Brazilian Artisanal Cheeses: Diversity, Microbiological Safety, and Challenges for the Sector

Ana Paulina Arellano Pineda  1 , Gabriela Zampieri Campos  1 , Natan Jesus Pimentel-Filho  2 , Bernadette Dora Gombossy de Melo Franco  1 , Uelinton Manoel Pinto  1
Affiliations
Review

Brazilian Artisanal Cheeses: Diversity, Microbiological Safety, and Challenges for the Sector

Ana Paulina Arellano Pineda et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

Artisanal cheeses made with raw milk are highly appreciated products in Brazil. Most of these cheeses are produced in small facilities across different production regions in the country, some of which have been granted a protected designation of origin and are award winners. The most prominent state that manufactures these products is Minas Gerais (MG), but production is also gaining strength in other Brazilian states. The major challenge faced by artisanal cheese production is related to microbial risks associated with foodborne pathogens when the quality of the raw milk is unsatisfactory. Regulations created for the dairy industry are constantly been revised and adapted, considering the small-scale production of Brazilian artisanal cheeses, in order to guarantee safety at all steps of cheese production and commercialization. This text presents a summary of the huge diversity of artisanal cheeses produced in the country, grouped by geographical regions, and reviews the current challenges faced by producers and government considering the safety of these cheeses.

Keywords: fermentation; food safety; foodborne pathogens; good manufacturing practice; ripening.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
States within each Brazilian region where the main Brazilian artisanal cheeses are produced. North: AM, Amazonas; PA, Pará; Northeast: AL, Alagoas; BA, Bahia; CE, Ceará; PB, Paraíba; PE, Pernambuco; RN, Rio Grande do Norte; SE, Sergipe; Southeast: MG, Minas Gerais; SP, São Paulo; Central-West: MS, Mato Grosso do Sul; South: PR, Paraná, RS, Rio Grande do Sul; SC, Santa Catarina. The inset highlights the nine artisanal cheese producing microregions in the state of Minas Gerais (MG).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flowchart of Minas artisanal cheese production. Pingo is a type of endogenous starter culture composed of fermentative microorganisms. It is collected from freshly manufactured cheeses during the molding stage, and it is used to make the next day’s batch (backslopping method).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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