Evaluation of contamination by Staphylococcus aureus in artisanal curd cheese made from goat's milk produced in the state of Pernambuco

The manufacture of artisanal Coalho cheese made from goat's milk is composed of the steps of obtaining milk, refrigeration, handling and storage that increase the risk of product contamination. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of contamination by Staphylococcus aureus in samples of artisanal Coalho cheese produced with raw goat's milk in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. In addition to evaluating the agreement between the official technique of Normative Instruction no62/2003 (MAPA) and the molecular technique (nuc gene) to identify S. S. aureus in cheese. There was growth of typical Staphylococcus aureus colonies in 100% of the samples and the count ranged from 7.0 x 10(3) to 8.6x 10(6) CFU/g. Of the 30 analyzed samples, 18 (60.0%) presented values greater than or equal to 10(5)CFU/g and 21 (70.0%) were contaminated by S. aureus. The agreement between the diagnostic methods of S. aureus in goat cheese was moderate. The level of contamination of cheeses reveals the need for actions to improve the preparation conditions of the product in order to guarantee a safe product to consumers.