CONTAMINACIÓN BACTERIANA EN MATERIALES UTILIZADOS EN LA PRODUCCIÓN DE QUESO FRESCO ARTESANAL DEL CANTÓN CHONE.

Abstract

In Ecuador, 35% of the milk is destined to a large extent to artisan cheese factories in rural areas, which do not present the optimal hygienic sanitary conditions that guarantee an adequate safety process, as well as the obtaining of a safe product. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the microbiological presence in materials used in the production of artisanal fresh cheese from the Chone city. The research consisted in the collection of samples by the swab method for each inert material frequently used in artisanal cheese factories that are present in the 18 farms in which the bacterial load was evaluated according to the INEN 1528 standard for pathogenic microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella. According to the microbiological results, it was determined that 94% and 33% of the cement, plastic and wood materials do not present acceptable hygienic conditions due to presence of these bacterias. Inert materials are not subject to good manufacturing practices, for which a technical sheet was standardized which indicates the protocols that producers must comply with to avoid contamination in the materials used in the production of artisanal fresh cheese.