There were submitted to the fecal coliforms enumeration and Samonella sp. search 168 samples of "Minas" cheese varieties (20 white, 48 "canastra" and 100 standardized), collected in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from 1995 to 1996. There were purchased cheeses with and without Federal Inspection Service (FIS) register, in order to evaluate microbiological quality difference. However, it was verified that 90.0% of the "Minas" white cheese, 81.2% of the "canastra Minas" and 52.0% of the standardized "Minas" presented high fecal coliforms counts, which were superior to the inspection allowed values. There was no significant statistical difference among FIS registered and not registered cheeses concerning "Minas" white and standardized cheeses microbiological analysis.
Minas cheese; fecal coliforms; Salmonella sp
