The microbiological aspects of traditional Travnik/Vlašić cheese was investigated. The cheese was made traditionally, from raw sheep milk at three small farms (A, B, C) on Mountain Vlašić. The microbiological quality of the cheese was examined during three stages of ripening (5, 30, 60 days) and followed during three seasons (3 years). Twenty-seven samples of cheese were collected and analyzed for the aerobic mesophilic count, yeasts and molds, coliforms and microorganisms from the group Staphylococcus spp. Average values determined for the number of investigated groups of microorganisms of all cheese samples throughout three different stages, seasons, and small farms were: aerobic mesophilic bacteria 8.03 log10 cfu·g-1, yeasts and molds 3.63 log10 cfu·g-1, coliforms 5.16 log10 cfu g-1, and microorganisms from the group Staphylococcus spp. 4.49 log10 cfu g-1. ANOVA showed that experimental factor ripening stage (days) had a significant effect on all testing parameters. Results obtained with this study indicate that hygiene during the production of traditional products must be increased in order to assure high quality of the final products.

Traditional dairy products, especially cheeses, represent part of the cultural food heritage of many countries. In addition, these cheeses constitute microbiological “reservoirs”, of which many have been lost due to the introduction of the pasteurization of milk in the dairy industry. Increased awareness of the importance of microorganisms that make up the biodiversity of traditional cheeses, as well as the development of molecular methods in recent decades, have enabled efforts to identify and preserve them. Traditional Livno cheese is a full-fat hard cheese, considered one of the most famous traditional cheeses of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is seasonally produced from a mixture of raw sheep’s milk supplemented with cow’s milk. Often, Livno cheese has variable quality, due to microbial contamination and poor milk quality. In this study, traditional Livno cheese was studied during the ripening of cheeses produced by different producers during two seasons. Culture-dependent analyses were made during ripening using microbiological plating on suitable media. Likewise, culture-independent methods Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) and Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA) were used to elucidate the cheese microbiota. Results of analysis showed Lactococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Lactobacillus spp., Pediococcus spp. and Leuconostoc spp. to be dominant species in traditional Livno cheese. However, when comparing the use of culture-dependent and culture-independent methods in the evaluation of Livno cheese microbiota, Enterococcus was not detected by culture-independent DGGE methods. The microbial population of both the milk and the environment determines the fermentation processes during cheese production and ripening, and thereby defines the quality of this cheese. The numbers of bacteria in the cheese were shown to be dependent on the manufacturer, the degree of ripening and the production season.

Mare’s milk is attracting increasing attention from consumers and experts due to its favorable nutritional and quality properties for direct consumption and processing into food and pharmaceutical products. The milk of mares from Bosnia and Herzegovina has not been researched so far. The paper analyzed the chemical composition, physical properties and hygienic quality of Arabian and Lipizzaner mares during the first three months of lactation. It was found that the period of lactation and breed had no significant influence on the properties of mare’s milk. The average chemical composition of Arabian and Lipizzaner mare milk was as follows (%): total solids 9.80 and 10.08; fat 1.14 and 1.24; lactose 6.40 and 6.40; ash 0.60 and 0.47 resp. The average titration acidity, pH, density and freezing point were 3.75 and 3.82oSH, 6.98 and 7.01, 1.0371 and 1.0374 g/cm3 and -0.533 and -0.523oC resp. Mare’s milk of both breeds was classified in class I in terms of hygienic quality.