MICRORGANISMOS PSICROTRÓFICOS EM LEITES SUBMETIDOS À ULTRA ALTA TEMPERATURA ADQUIRIDOS EM CURITIBA, PARANÁ.

The beneficial effects of ultra-pasteurization milk treatment include elimination of milk pathogens, besides increasing the product's shelf-life, however, psychrotrophic bacteria are associated with several negative effects in the final product such as lipolysis, rancidification and gelation. This results from heat-resistant spores and its possible residual extracellular heat-resistant enzymes activity. With that in mind, this paper aimed to quantify psychrotrophic bacteria and perform a milk clotting test in UHT milk sold in Curitiba, Paraná. 60 samples from two brands were acquired (30 from A brand and 30 from B brand) each 15 days in different moments. Each time, 10 samples from a same batch were separated in two groups (D0 and D7), being D0: five samples analyzed in the purchase day, and D7: five samples analyzed after incubation at 37± 1ºC/7 days and evaluated regarding enumeration of psychrotrophic bacteria, Gram staining and milk clotting test. The heat-treating process effectiveness was evaluated by analyzing 30 samples from each brand, A and B, totalizing 60, being 10 from each different production batches, through the surface inoculation method in PCA, milk clotting test and classification of the isolated colonies by the Gram method. In D0, one (3,4%) sample (from A brand) resulted in Gram negative psychrotrophic growing (2,50 x 105 UFC/mL) . Samples from B brand did not result in bacterial growth. 25 samples (83,3%) did not clot, and five (16,7%) produced sponge clots. In D7, none of the samples presented bacterial growth, 20 (66,7%) did not clot and 10 (33,3%) produced sponge clots. Mesophilic bacterial culture was not done. The A brand UHT process did not grant sterilization regarding psychrotrophic bacteria, and the milk clotting results indicate possible coliforms contamination in both brands. Furthermore, clot absence in several samples could indicate preservatives usage, which is considered fraud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]