Influence of soft cheese technology on the growth and enterotoxin production of Staphylococcus aureus

The aim of this study was to monitor S. aureus growth and toxin production in soft cheese during the technological processing. In model experiments, raw milk was inoculated separately with five S. aureus strains isolated from milk and milk products. All the strains were producers of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) of types A, B, or C. SEs were detected by the enzyme-linked fluorescence assay (ELFA) performed in the MiniVIDAS device. This study has shown that the amount of SEs varied with the tested strains and stages of the technological process. SEs were detected in soft cheese made from pasteurised milk inoculated with 2.9 x 10 5 CFU/g of S. aureus. The prevention of S. aureus contamination and multiplication during the cheese making process is a prerequisite for the production of safe soft cheese. The most important enterotoxin dose build-up factor can be overcome by strict compliance with the cooling requirements during the manufacture, distribution and storage of the product.