Addressing Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Challenges in Artisanal Pico Cheese Production: Proteolysis Indexes, Staphylococci, and Whey Valorization
Artisanal cheeses face unique challenges due to changes in the present approaches to food safety, health, and environmental sustainability. This work aims at tackling such challenges in Pico cheese, by addressing outdated PDO criteria, the need to tackle coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) and t...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1487 |
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| author | Sandra P. A. Câmara Cristiana Maduro Dias Hélder P. B. Nunes Raphael Martin Francisca Pimentel Júlia V. Gomes Maria da Graça A. Silveira Henrique J. D. Rosa Airidas Dapkevicius Alfredo E. S. Borba Maria de Lurdes N. E. Dapkevicius |
| author_facet | Sandra P. A. Câmara Cristiana Maduro Dias Hélder P. B. Nunes Raphael Martin Francisca Pimentel Júlia V. Gomes Maria da Graça A. Silveira Henrique J. D. Rosa Airidas Dapkevicius Alfredo E. S. Borba Maria de Lurdes N. E. Dapkevicius |
| author_sort | Sandra P. A. Câmara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Artisanal cheeses face unique challenges due to changes in the present approaches to food safety, health, and environmental sustainability. This work aims at tackling such challenges in Pico cheese, by addressing outdated PDO criteria, the need to tackle coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) and to promote circular economy by upgrading cheese whey. Model raw- and pasteurized milk cheeses were prepared with autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as inoculants and analyzed for their composition, proteolysis, and microbiological parameters. CoPS were isolated and the risks they pose in terms of One Health evaluated by assessing phenotypic virulence factors and antibiotic resistance patterns. To assess the potential of autochthonous LAB for controlling CoPS, a challenge test was performed. Probiotic <i>requeijão</i> was prepared using autochthonous LAB as inoculants for upgrading whey. This work confirmed the need to update Pico cheese specifications regarding proteolysis indexes. Biofilm production was present in all Pico cheese CoPS, but resistance was only found against penicillin and cefoxitin. Adding salt or extending maturation time up to 60 days did not afford the desired level of CoPS control. <i>Lactococcus lactis</i> L1C21M1, however, was able to keep CoPS populations at 3 log cfu g<sup>−1</sup> in the challenge test. <i>Requeijão</i> was a suitable substrate for probiotic autochthonous <i>Lactococcus lactis</i> L3A21M1 and L3B1M7. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-61a9e20efcdf464f9bb565a494a6563b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-61a9e20efcdf464f9bb565a494a6563b2025-08-20T02:24:46ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-04-01149148710.3390/foods14091487Addressing Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Challenges in Artisanal Pico Cheese Production: Proteolysis Indexes, Staphylococci, and Whey ValorizationSandra P. A. Câmara0Cristiana Maduro Dias1Hélder P. B. Nunes2Raphael Martin3Francisca Pimentel4Júlia V. Gomes5Maria da Graça A. Silveira6Henrique J. D. Rosa7Airidas Dapkevicius8Alfredo E. S. Borba9Maria de Lurdes N. E. Dapkevicius10Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalFaculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalFaculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of the Azores, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalInstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Technology (IITA-A), University of the Azores, Rua Capitão João d’Ávila, Pico da Urze, 9700-042 Angra do Heroísmo, PortugalArtisanal cheeses face unique challenges due to changes in the present approaches to food safety, health, and environmental sustainability. This work aims at tackling such challenges in Pico cheese, by addressing outdated PDO criteria, the need to tackle coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) and to promote circular economy by upgrading cheese whey. Model raw- and pasteurized milk cheeses were prepared with autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as inoculants and analyzed for their composition, proteolysis, and microbiological parameters. CoPS were isolated and the risks they pose in terms of One Health evaluated by assessing phenotypic virulence factors and antibiotic resistance patterns. To assess the potential of autochthonous LAB for controlling CoPS, a challenge test was performed. Probiotic <i>requeijão</i> was prepared using autochthonous LAB as inoculants for upgrading whey. This work confirmed the need to update Pico cheese specifications regarding proteolysis indexes. Biofilm production was present in all Pico cheese CoPS, but resistance was only found against penicillin and cefoxitin. Adding salt or extending maturation time up to 60 days did not afford the desired level of CoPS control. <i>Lactococcus lactis</i> L1C21M1, however, was able to keep CoPS populations at 3 log cfu g<sup>−1</sup> in the challenge test. <i>Requeijão</i> was a suitable substrate for probiotic autochthonous <i>Lactococcus lactis</i> L3A21M1 and L3B1M7.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1487artisanal cheesecoagulase-positive <i>Staphylococcus</i>whey cheeseproteolysissustainabilitysafety |
| spellingShingle | Sandra P. A. Câmara Cristiana Maduro Dias Hélder P. B. Nunes Raphael Martin Francisca Pimentel Júlia V. Gomes Maria da Graça A. Silveira Henrique J. D. Rosa Airidas Dapkevicius Alfredo E. S. Borba Maria de Lurdes N. E. Dapkevicius Addressing Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Challenges in Artisanal Pico Cheese Production: Proteolysis Indexes, Staphylococci, and Whey Valorization Foods artisanal cheese coagulase-positive <i>Staphylococcus</i> whey cheese proteolysis sustainability safety |
| title | Addressing Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Challenges in Artisanal Pico Cheese Production: Proteolysis Indexes, Staphylococci, and Whey Valorization |
| title_full | Addressing Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Challenges in Artisanal Pico Cheese Production: Proteolysis Indexes, Staphylococci, and Whey Valorization |
| title_fullStr | Addressing Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Challenges in Artisanal Pico Cheese Production: Proteolysis Indexes, Staphylococci, and Whey Valorization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Addressing Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Challenges in Artisanal Pico Cheese Production: Proteolysis Indexes, Staphylococci, and Whey Valorization |
| title_short | Addressing Quality, Safety, and Sustainability Challenges in Artisanal Pico Cheese Production: Proteolysis Indexes, Staphylococci, and Whey Valorization |
| title_sort | addressing quality safety and sustainability challenges in artisanal pico cheese production proteolysis indexes staphylococci and whey valorization |
| topic | artisanal cheese coagulase-positive <i>Staphylococcus</i> whey cheese proteolysis sustainability safety |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/9/1487 |
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