Monitoramento da microbiota de iogurtes comerciais

Abstract

Yogurt is a fermented milk resulting from a mutual interaction between the lactic acid bacteria Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. For yoghurt quality assurance, the cell numbers of each microorganism, should not be less than 1x107per gram, therefore a relative ratio lactobacilli and streptococci should be 1:1, although a 1:2 ratio is also accepted. During storage of yoghurt exposed for sale, post-acidification may occur, changing the ratio of the two microorganisms. The objectives of this research were to evaluate yoghurts of four different manufacturers named A, B, C and D, in relation to the number and balance between streptococii and lactobacilli during the storage and its relation with acidity and pH. In this way, yoghurts with up to 20 days of manufacturing (band I) and more than 20 days (band II) were evaluated. Better recovery of L. delbruckii subsp. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus was observed with LB and M17 media respectively, which were used to determine the relative ratio of the two microorganisms. An imbalance in the lactobacilli numbers which were lower than that of streptococci was verified and considered inadequate, in two out of four commercial brands. In yoghurts from the manufacturer A, there was a significant reduction in the number of lactobacilli from band I to band II leading to an increase in the relative ratio of streptococii to lactobacilli. There was no significant difference in the counts of streptococci or bacilli from one band to another with the other three brands of yoghurts. The acidity of yoghurts from manufacturer D revealed significantly higher (P< 0.05) than the others, although it did not result in an increased pH reduction. All samples attended the legislation in relation to total lactic acid bacteria counts, acidity, pH and mould and yeast count