Microbial benefits and risks of raw milk cheese

• Raw milk cheese contains indigenous microbiota, contributing to flavor development.
• The microbial community also plays a role in controlling the growth of food-borne bacterial pathogens.
• Pathogenic bacteria could be present in raw milk cheese, possibly causing food-borne illness.
• The microbiological risk of raw milk cheese can be reduced by appropriate aging and hygiene management.

Consumer preference for raw milk cheese is continually growing, owing to its more intense and varied flavor than pasteurized milk cheese. Flavor development in raw milk cheese is mainly governed by its naturally existing microbial community, which also contributes to the inhibition of food-borne pathogenic bacterial growth. Lactic acid bacteria, the dominant indigenous microorganisms of raw milk cheese, produce pathogen-inhibiting substances such as bacteriocin, organic acids, and hydrogen peroxide, and it is possible to manufacture cheese with desirable microbiological qualities. Nonetheless, outbreaks of food-borne illnesses have been linked to the consumption of raw milk cheese, and concerns have been raised regarding the microbiological safety of cheese manufactured from raw milk. Consequently, efficient and accurate methods for detecting contaminated bacterial pathogens in raw milk cheese have been promptly developed, including conventional plating, PCR-based technology, and immunoassay-integrated methods. The microbiological risk of the cheese can be reduced by proper ripening processing. However, additionally, hygiene in the environments for milk production and cheesemaking and the post-manufacturing stage needs to be constantly microbiologically monitored.