Venezuelan White Cheese: Composition and Quality1

Abstract

A survey was made at the retail level in the Venezuelan market to study the basic compositional and microbial characteristics of queso blanco, the most typical cheese in Venezuela. The commercial type labeled as pasteurizado blando “soft” was characterized by a high moisture content (50.6%), 2.5% sodium chloride, 21.4% fat and 19.2% protein, and a pH of 5.7. A second commercial type labeled as duro “hard” was characterized by lower moisture content (39%), 5.0% sodium chloride, 27.4% fat, 24.5% protein, and a pH of 5.3. Significant variation was found in these major compositional factors indicating a general lack of quality and/or extreme diversity of the manufacturing conditions used. Microbiological analysis revealed the presence of: (a) Salmonella, (b) extremely high numbers of total fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli, (c) high numbers of Staphylococcus aureus and enterotoxigenic S. aureus, and (d) other microorganisms including Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, Lactobacillus and yeast and molds. A statistical relationship between growth and numbers, and the presence of other indicators, pathogens, and compositional factors was investigated.