Air quality cheese packaging industry - Acceptable Mould Levels?
Hello,
We recently did an air quality check on a cheese packaging industry. We tested it for mould and the results varied from 10cfu/cm3 to 140cfu/cm3. Can these numbers affect and infect the final product? Are there any limits for mould in the air, or each industry state their own limits?
Thank you
Hello,
We recently did an air quality check on a cheese packaging industry. We tested it for mould and the results varied from 10cfu/cm3 to 140cfu/cm3. Can these numbers affect and infect the final product? Are there any limits for mould in the air, or each industry state their own limits?
Thank you
hi ismene,
It may depend on the specific procedure which you used. I presume this was an impact sampler.
Not sure if up-to-date but APHA suggested some standards for dairy ca 2003 which contained max 90cfu/m3 for both air and Y&M respectively
See the excel( esp.sheet 1) and file sh1 in this post -
Thank you for your answer, it was very helpful!
If you have open vats of cheese - or your cheese is in contact with the air that you had tested - the answer is yes the mold in the air could affect your product. It could lead to a reduced shelf life of your product - and/or spoilage issues.