Penicillium species during the manufacturing and ripening of Armada raw goat's milk cheese : identification, characteristics and in vitro potential toxins production

The species and characteristics of the moulds of the Penicillium genus were studied throughout the manufacturing and ripening of Armada cheese. Along the ripening of four batches of cheese, samples of milk, curd, and 1-,2-,4-, 8-, and 16-week-old chee se were studied. Of the 274 iso- lates obtained from the Oxytetracycline Glucose Yeast-Extract Agar medium throughout the manu- facturing and ripening, 28 were considered moulds belonging to the Penicillium genus and were identified using both morphological and physiological tests as following: Penicillium roqueforti (10 strains), P. crustosum (6 strains), P. commune (4 strains), P. aurantiogriseum (3 strains), P. ver- rucosum chemotype 1(2 strains), and P. chrysogenum (3 strains). The presence of the species of the Penicillium genus was more important in the last stages of ripening. This fact could be related to the marked increase in the content of total free fatty acids, and of short-chain fatty acids in particular, which is observed after the second mon th of ripening in this cheese. The mycotoxin production was inves- tigated by thin-layer chromatography techniques. Ali the strains were toxigenic in vitro. © InralElse- vier, Paris. Armada goat cheese 1 mou Id 1Penicillium 1 mycotoxin