Survival of Listeria monocytogenes During the Manufacture and Ripening of Swiss Cheese

¹ Department of Food Science and The Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison 53706

Rindless Swiss cheese was made from a mixture of pasteurized whole and skim milk that was inoculated to contain 10⁴ to 10⁵ cfu ofListeria monocytogenes (strain Ohio, California, or V7)/ml. During clotting of milk, numbers of L. monocytogenes remained nearly unchanged. When the curd was heated gradually to attain the cooking temperature (50°C), numbers of L. monocytogenes increased by approximately 40 to 45% over those in inoculated milk. Cooking curd at 50°C (122°F) for 30 to 40 min resulted in resilient curd having a pH of 6.40 to 6.45 and decreased L. monocytogenes by 48% compared with numbers of the pathogen in inoculated milk. After curd was pressed under whey, numbers of L. monocytogenes increased by approximately 52% over those in inoculated milk and reached their maxima at the end of this stage. A sharp decreased in numbers of L. monocytogenes occured during brining of cheese blocks (7°C for 30 h). The population of L. monocytogenes continued to decrease during cheese ripening. Average D values for strains California, Ohio, and V7 were 29.2, 24, and 22.5 d, respectively. Listeria was not detected (direct plating, and cold enrichment) after 80, 77, and 66 d of ripening of Swiss cheese made from milk inoculated with strains California, Ohio and V7, respectively. Thus, Swiss cheese made in this study did not permit extended survival of L. monocytogenes.

Key Words: Listeria monocytogenes • Swiss cheese • foodborne illness

Submitted on May 9, 1991
Accepted on September 16, 1991