Impacto da produção artesanal de queijos em mananciais da Serra da Canastra

The artisanal cheese production chain from Serra da Canastra region is mainly composed by small properties managed under the family farming system. Under an ecological context, Canastra Artisanal Cheese production system represents a case of land changing of native Cerrado ecosystem in agroecosystems managed for the small-scale production of dairy cattle and functioning of a small agroindustry (the cheese factory). The objective of this work was to verify potential associations between profiles of effluent management and capture of water used in the production of Canastra Cheese and the state of microbiological contamination of the water in the springs, in the cheese factories and in the endogenous yeast used in the production, using two microbiological indicators (coliform and Escherichia coli loads). Water samples were collected from 12 springs around the Serra da Canastra National Park, water samples used at Canastra cheesemaking facilities as well samples of natural whey cultures used in cheese production from 13 rural proprieties, at dry and wet Cerrado biome seasons. Comparative analyzes of total coliform and E. coli counts (CFU/ml) from water samples revealed that rural proprieties that have a routine for washing the milking parlor, as well as those with a higher risk of access by wild animals to the source showed higher loads of both indicator microorganisms. The effect of using water treated by chlorination on the load of indicator microorganisms was also verified, both in the water used in the cheese factory and in the endogenous yeast used in production. In addition, it was found that rural proprieties that do not use treated water to wash the milking parlor had higher loads of E. coli in endogenous yeast. It is considered that the results of this work corroborate the established assumptions and highlight the need for Canastra Cheese producers to understand that their rural proprieties are ecosystems in which each strategy adopted in the management of their rural property can have an impact on their core activity, which is production. of Canasta Cheese.