INFLUENCE OF PASTEURIZED MILK, RAW-MILK AND DIFFERENT RIPENING CULTURES ON BIOGENIC-AMINE CONCENTRATIONS IN SEMI-SOFT CHEESES DURING RIPENING

In semi-soft cheeses, produced with pasteurised milk, raw milk and dif ferent starter cultures, the concentrations of cadaverine, histamine, phenylethylamine, putrescine and tyramine were investigated. The cultu res (pasteurised milk cultures, raw milk cultures and starter cultures ) strongly influenced the biogenic amine concentrations in the cheeses ripened for 5 months. Two cheeses made with identical pasteurised mil k, but different ripening cultures, differed greatly in their total bi ogenic amine concentrations (51 vs 371 mg/kg). In general, the biogeni c amine concentrations increased markedly between month 2 and month 3 of cheese ripening. The high content of enterococci and Enterobacteria ceae yielded the biogenic amine concentrations. In contrast, Lactobaci lli did not seem to be important. However, unspecified bacteria have t o be considered, since cheeses with comparable microbiological profile s differed enormously in their biogenic amine concentrations. Semi-sof t cheeses produced from pasteurised milk showed remarkably lower total biogenic amine concentrations compared to semi-soft cheeses produced from raw milk (51-1096 mg/kg vs 1011-3133 mg/kg, depending also on the ripening cultures). The highest total biogenic amine concentration (4 817 mg/kg) was detected in a cheese produced from raw milk that had be en stored for 36 h. In this cheese, the concentrations of cadaverine, phenylethylamine, putrescine and tyramine were higher than in all othe r cheeses. The highest histamine concentration was found to be in anot her raw milk cheese (573 mg/kg).