Microbial load of white cheese process lines after CIP and COP: A case study in Turkey

Microbial adhesion, contamination and biofilm formation are major problems in the dairy industry, in cheese production, and for consumer health. In our study, the microbial loads of white cheese process lines were examined after cleaning treatments. Bacillus spp. was determined as the most common species on process lines. Drainage, air, and water entry points were found as important contamination points. Biofilm forming capacity of Enterobacteriaceae as revealed using Congo Red agar, was very high. In addition, the standard counting and ATP-Bioluminescence methods were applied and compared for evaluating biofilms. The ATP-Bioluminescence method was found useful for rapidly identifying the biofilm-formable surfaces.