Determination of Some Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Van Herby Cheeses Produced Using Dry Salted and Brined Methods and Offered for Sale in Istanbul Province

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical and microbial properties of Van Herby cheese, traditionally produced at home using various wild herbs and raw milk, and offered for sale in the Istanbul market, and to evaluate the results according to the Turkish Food Codex (TFC) cheese and microbiology regulation. The findings revealed statistically significant variations in total solids, protein, and titratable acidity across the herby cheeses tested. Thirty Van Herby cheese samples (15 dry salted and 15 brined) were randomly collected from retail outlets and delivered to the laboratory under cold chain conditions. The physicochemical properties of the cheese samples were evaluated using established analytical methods. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB) were counted on Plate Count (PC) agar, yeasts and molds on Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol (DRBC) agar, and Staphylococcus aureus on Baird Parker (BP) agar, Coliform bacteria was enumerated on Violet Red Bile (VRB) agar, while Listeria monocytogenes was dedected by enrichment in Half Fraser (HF) broth, colony formation on PALCAM agar, and biochemical tests. None of the analayzed sample tested positive for L. monocytogenes or Salmonella spp. The mean bacterial load of the dry salted herby cheese were 5.16±1.15 log CFU g-1 for viable TAMB, 2.19±0.28 CFU g-1 for Staphylococcus aureus, 4.29±0.33 log CFU g-1 for Coliform bacteria, 4.03±0.80 log CFU g-1 for mold and 4.53±0.95 log CFU g-1 for yeast. However, the mean bacterial load of the brined cheeses were 5.23±0.49 log CFU g-1 for TMAB, 3.94±0.50 log CFU g-1 for Staphylococcus aureus, 3.45±1.01 log CFU g-1 for Coliform bacteria, 4.10±1.66 log CFU g-1 for mold and 4.50±1.38 log CFU g-1 for yeast. The mean total solids, protein, fat, salt, ash, pH, and titratable acidity values of dry-salted cheese samples were found to be 47.17±0.86%, 17.51±0.56%, 24.25±1.08%, 5.94±0.26%, 1.02±0.01%, 4.66±0.03%, and 1.54±0.08%, respectively, while the average values for brined cheeses were determined to be 49.72±1.00%, 18.50±0.57%, 22.54±0.80%, 6.36±0.18%, 1.12±0.02%, 4.79±0.05%, and 1.53±0.03%, respectively. When the findings were evaluated, it was determined that the mold-yeast, Coliform bacteria, and Staphylococcus aureus loads of the samples did not comply with the TFC microbiological criteria regulation, and that one sample did not comply with the TFC cheese regulation in terms of total solids content and two samples did not comply in terms of salt content.