Background:

Homemade cheese is part of the nutritional culture of the Ecuadoran population; however, few studies have been done in relation to the microbiological quality of cheese made rustically by farmers in the north of province Manabi.

Aim.

To evaluate the quality of milk and homemade cheese produced rustically by farmers in the north of province Manabi.

Materials and Methods :

A microbiological analysis was performed to 156 samples of milk and cheese, using the petrifilm method, for quantification of total aerobial, mesophilic, and coliform microorganisms, in addition to Enterobacteria, fungi, yeasts, and Staphylococcus aureus. They were compared to the Ecuadoran standards. The values were log10 UFC/mL (milk) and UFC/g (cheese).

Results:

Statistically significant values (p˂0.001) were obtained between rustic raw milk and homemade cheese, which made them unsuitable for consumption in relation to the following indicators: mesophiles (6.24 and 8.41); total coliforms (5.40 and 7.26); Enterobacteria (4.40; 6.44); fungi and yeasts (3.52 and 5.16), and S. aureus (4.33 and 5.99). The correlation coefficient found between milk and cheese for all the microorganisms was above 0.65 in all the cantons.

Conclusions:

The milk and fresh homemade cheese produced rustically in the four cantons studied failed to meet the sanitary and hygienic standards, going beyond the microbiological limits set by the national standards, which were especially significant in canton EL Carmen, and moderately among these dairies for each indicator microorganism.