Özet:

This study was conducted to determine microbiological quality of various cheese samples. A total of 120 cheese samples (30 white brined cheese, 30 tulum cheese, 30 kashar cheese, 30 lor cheese) were collected from dairy processing plants' output shops. Cheese samples produced in various processing plants located in Western Ae-gean region of Turkey (İzmir, Aydın, Muğla) were obtained from the output shops in Aydın. Enumeration of total viable count (TVC), Staphylococcus aureus and coliforms were carried out, and the presence of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were investigated. The results showed that the mean TVC in white brined cheese, Tulum cheese, kashar cheese and lor cheese were 9.43 log cfu/g, 9.87 log cfu/g, 7.71 log cfu/g and 9.80 log cfu/g, respectively. The mean numbers of S. aureus were found in these samples 4.87 log cfu/g, 5.61 log cfu/g, 4.14 log cfu/g and 5.09 log kob/g, respectively. When the levels of coliform bacteria considered, the least contaminated cheese was found to be kashar. The presences of E. coli and L. monocytogenes were determined in 32 samples (26.6%) and one kashar cheese sample (0.83%), respectively. No Salmonella spp. were encountered in any of the cheese samples investigated. It was concluded that microbiological quality of the cheese samples were generally poor due to inade-quate hygienic conditions during production processes and marketing. High numbers of S. aureus contaminated cheese samples may cause food poisoning cases due to its enterotoxins. Contamination with L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii may also cause public health risks.

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