Selected microbiological properties of Kashar cheese samples preserved with potassium sorbate

Kashar cheese, traditionally produced, is a popular dairy product in Turkey. Kashar cheese-a hard cheese-is frequently contaminated with mould. Potassium sorbate can be used for preservation of Kashar cheese. In this article, the effect of potassium sorbate on the microbiological characteristics of Kashar cheese was studied. It was found that the microbial counts at stored at 4 +/- 0.1 degrees C for 12 and 24 hours were not different from that of fresh milk samples. The means of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, proteolytic microorganisms, lipolytic bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria and yeast-moulds in the cheese samples were determined as 4.3 x 10(7), 2.1 x 10(5), 3.5 x 10, 1.2 x 10, 4.5 x 10(5), 5.6 x 10(4), 1.7 x 10(3), and 4.8 x 10(4) cfu/g, respectively. The addition of potassium sorbate to Kashar cheese decreased the coliform and yeast-mould counts. The yeast and mould counts of cheese samples with added dry potassium sorbate were lower than that of fluid potassium sorbate.