A survey on the microbiological quality of various cheeses in Turkey.

A survey was made at the retail level in the Erzurum, Erzincan and Van markets to study the microbial characteristics of pickled white cheese, Erzincan (Savak) Tulum cheese and Van herby cheese, the most typical cheeses of Turkey. Significant variation was found in their microbiological quality. Microbiological analysis revealed the presence of extremely high numbers of total bacteria, faecal streptococci, other microorganisms including coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, yeast and mould, lipolytic and proteolytic microorganisms and lactic acid bacteria. A statistical relationship between the number of microorganisms and variety of cheese type was investigated.