ISSN 2736-1756
Advanced Journal of Microbiology Research Vol. 2015
Available online at http://internationalscholarsjournals.org/journal/ajmr
© 2015 International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Microbiological quality of yoghurt commercialized in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
L. A. Rodrigues1, M. B. T. Ortolani2 and L. A. Nero2*
1Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
2Departamento de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brasil.
Accepted 17 December, 2014
Abstract
Yoghurt consumption has been increasing since 1980 decade due to the search for healthy foods by consumers, including Brazil. In order to evaluate the quality of the yoghurt commercialized in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 36 samples were collected from markets and analyzed for coliforms (total and thermotolerant) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) enumeration and pH, considering different times for expiration. Coliforms were not detected at levels higher than 0.3 MPN/g, and only 7 (19.4%) samples showed LAB counts lower than 107 CFU/g. However, the mean pH observed in these samples (4.4) was not significantly different when compared to samples with higher LAB counts, suggesting addition of weak starter cultures during the processing. In the samples with less than 15 days for expiration the LAB counts and pH values were 7.4 log CFU/g and 4.1, respectively, and they were lower when compared to samples with more than 16 days of commercial viability, but without significant differences. The obtained results indicate adequate quality of yoghurt commercialized in Viçosa.
Key words: Yoghurt, quality, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, pH.