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Introduction

How cheese is made

Hazard analysis and your business

Milk production

Cheesemaking

Cheese retailers

Staff hygeine and training

Milk and cheesemaking: The Law

Food Law inspections and your business

Glossary of terms

Annex A: Flow Charts Describing the Process of Cheesemaking

Annex B: Examples of Written Cleaning Schedules

Annex C: Standards for Milk to be used in Cheese, and Microbiological Standards for Cheese

Annex D: Guide to the Correct Temperatures for Maturing or Ripening Cheese

Annex E: Examples of Cheesemaking Logs
 

 

The Specialist Cheesemakers Code of Best Practice

Annex C: Standards for Milk to be used in Cheese, and Microbiological Standards for Cheese

Standards for Milk to be used in Cheese

Microbiological Standards for Cheese

 

Standards for Milk to be used in Cheese

MILK

TEST

MAXIMUM IN REGS.

WHAT TO AIM FOR

All raw milk

 Extraneous water Absent Absent
Antibiotics and other harmful residues Not above permitted maximum residue levels Absent
Coliforms Not specified in Regulations < 100/ml

Raw cows' milk not going for heat treatment

 Plate count at 30oC = 100,000/ml < 10,000/ml
Somatic cell count = 400,000/ml < 250,000/ml
Staphylococcus aureus < 2,000/ml < 500/ml

Raw cows' milk for heat treatment

milk for

 Plate count at 30oC

= 400,000/ml

= 100,000/ml (1998)

 < 10,000/ml
Somatic cell count

= 500,000/ml

= 400,000/ml (1998)

 < 250,000/ml

Raw goats'/ ewes'/buffaloes' miklk not going for heat treatment

 Plate count at 30oC

= 1,000,000/ml

= 500,000/ml (1999)

 < 250,000/ml
Staphylococcus aureus < 2,000/ml < 500/ml

Raw goats'/ ewes'/ buffaloes' milk for heat treatment

 Plate count at 30oC

= 3,000,000/ml

< 1,500,000/ml (1999)

 < 10,000/ml

Pasteurised milk for manufacture of dairy products

 Phosphatase 4 µ g or less of p-nitrophenol/ml 0 µ g of p-nitrophenol/ml
Peroxidase Positive Positive
Coliforms Not specified in Regulations Absent in 1ml
Plate count at 30oC Not specified in Regulations < 10,000/ml

 

 

Dates in brackets indicate the timetable in the Regulations for introducing stricter legal standards.

Microbiological Standards for Cheese

The standards in the Regulations apply to dairy products at the time of removal from the premises.

PRODUCT

TEST

STANDARD IN REGULATIONS

WHAT TO AIM FOR

Cheese (except hard cheese)

 Listeria monocytogenes Absent in 25g Absent in 25g

Hard cheese

Listeria monocytogenes

 

 Absent in 1g Absent in 1g

All cheese

 Salmonella Absent in 25g Absent in 25g
Escherichia coli O157 Not specified in Regulations Absent in 25g

Cheese from raw or thermised milk

 Staphylococcus aureus < 10,000/g < 1,000/g
Escherichia coli < 100,000/g < 1,000/g

Soft cheese made from heat treated milk

 Staphylococcus aureus < 1,000/g < 100/g
Escherichia coli < 1,000/g < 100/g

Fresh cheese (unripened)

 Staphylococcus aureus < 100/g < 10/g

 

 

If the maxima in the Regulations are exceeded for Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, or Escherichia coli:

Immediately inform your Food Authority. Consider withholding affected batches. Review your controls. Further tests may be required on products depending on the nature of the failure (e.g., before batches can be released for sale). Your Food Authority will advise on the correct course of action.

 

  

Specialist Cheesemakers Association    17 Clerkenwell Green    London EC1R 0DP

Tel: 020 7253 2114    Fax: 020 7608 1645    Email: info@specialistcheesemakers.co.uk