Conservation and quality control of cheeses: Review

Abstract

The cheese is one of the foods that are more common in the human diet, composing, generally, the supply of all social classes, since the dawn of humanity. For effective industrial manufacture of cheese, the milk must be pasteurized milk with the goal of eliminating pathogenic microorganisms. However, in conditions unsuitable for human consumption can trigger serious consequences for the population, becoming thus a public health problem. Thinking about it, this research aims to understand the conservation and control of quality of cheeses, upon a review of the literature. Methodologically, the research is a literature review, performed from the consultation of 108 articles available in SciELO, CAPES Periodicals, PubMed and MEDLINE and other publications in periodicals in several databases in various areas of science and technology, as well as laws. Being selected 21 articles restricted publications in Portuguese language related to conservation and/or quality control of cheeses, between the years of 2010 to 2015. In this way, the majority of studies performed, the good manufacturing practices of cheeses are not within the standards of quality offered by the laws in force, in key metrics of quality control. It is suggested that the producers of cheeses to adopt measures hygiene and sanitary conditions to ensure a product with food safety.