Influence of milk microbiota on Listeria monocytogenes survival during cheese ripening

This study aimed to compare the three strains of Listeria monocytogenes survival in raw milk cheese and pasteurized milk cheese and to suggest the effect of milk microbiota on survival. L. monocytogenes cell counts decreased in all cheese as ripening time increased, and the survival rate was different for the strains of L. monocytogenes. Furthermore, L. monocytogenes survived longer in raw milk cheese than in pasteurized milk cheese. The difference of bacterial survival in each cheese was independent of Aw or the Lactobacillus spp. populations in cheeses; there was no difference in Aw or Lactobacillus spp. populations in all cheeses. The richness of microbiota in raw milk was little higher than in pasteurized milk, and five phyla (Chloroflexi, Cyanobacteria, Deinococcus-Thermus, Lentisphaerae, and Verrucomicrobia) were present only in raw milk. Also, organic acid-producing bacteria were presented more in pasteurized milk compared with raw milk; thus, the growth of L. monocytogenes was slower in pasteurized milk. In conclusion, differences in the microbial community of milk can affect the growth of L. monocytogenes. Making cheese using raw milk is a risk of L. monocytogenes infection; thus, efforts to prevent growth of L. monocytogenes such as the use of appropriate food additives are required.