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Introduction: Each year approximately 3 million people die as the result of foodborne diseases. The fresh artisan (handmade) cheese produced and distributed in the Colombian Caribbean region is a native product from the departments of Córdoba, Sucre, Bolívar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Cesar, and La Guajira. Its mass consumption increases the risk of infection with Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Brucella spp., as it is made with a very rustic technology, with unpasteurized cow milk, without standardized and hygienic procedures and its storage is inadequate. Objective: To detect the presence of Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Brucella spp. in samples of fresh artisan cheese from the Colombian Caribbean region. Materials and methods: Twenty-seven samples of cheese from five departments of the Caribbean Region (Atlántico (n=6), Bolívar (n=2), Córdoba (n=1), Magdalena (n=16), and Sucre (n=2)) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Seventeen of the samples corresponded to soft cheese, five to semi-hard cheese and five to hard cheese. Results: In 62.9% (17/27) of the samples we detected Salmonella spp., in 70.4% (19/27), Listeria spp., and in 22.2% (6/27), Brucella spp., mainly from the department of Magdalena. In 62.5% (10/16) of the samples we detected Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. while in the department of Atlántico, 50% (3/6) of the samples corresponded to Brucella spp. Conclusion: The results confirmed the presence of these microorganisms in all the samples of soft cheese from the Colombian Caribbean region.

The aim of this work is to study the oregano essential oil (OEO) composition from Northwestern Argentinean regions and to evaluate its effect on the lactic starter cultures. The oregano used, Origanum vulgare var hirtum, was obtained from Andalgalá, Catamarca. The essential oil presented high amounts of α-terpinene (10%), γ-terpinene (15.1%), terpinen-4-ol (15.5%) and thymol (13.0%) as the main components. No negative effect on growth or metabolic activity of lactic acid bacteria Streptococcus thermophilus CRL 728 and CRL 813, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL 656 and CRL 468, and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis CRL 597 up to the maximum concentration (200μg/g) assayed was observed. No differences in the organoleptic characteristics of semi-hard cheeses flavored with oregano essential oil (200μg/g) and homemade cheeses flavored with oregano leaves were found. With respect to the microbiological quality of the products, neither enterobacteria nor mold and yeast were detected during ripening in essential-oil flavored cheese compared to control cheese (enterobacteria 2×10 3 UFC/g) and cheese flavored with oregano leaves (mold/yeast 4×10 4 CFU/g). Our results showed that the use of oregano essential oil and lactic starter culture considerably improved cheese quality., (Copyright © 2016 Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)