Implementation of systems of safety food management based on HACCP principles in the domestic food industry is an effective tool to ensure high food hygiene. This system provides production control of the food chain, allowing to take preventive measures and to prevent the negative impact of production risk on the safety of the finished product. Knowledge of manufacturing processes, understanding the biochemical and microbiological transformation of raw ingredients, strict control at all stages of processing ensures the release of a safe and high quality products.

The objective of our study was to determine the critical control points and assess risks in  production of rennet cheeses, to conduct identification of indicators of quality and safety of milk and cheese according to the criteria established by the applicable regulatory and technical documents.

The material for the study: cow's whole milk, rennet and hard cheese. Investigation of the quality and safety of raw milk and rennet cheeses was carried out by standardized and rapid methods. Research methods - organoleptic, physics-chemical, microbiological, statistical.

Due to the nature of rennet cheese production the main critical control points may be defined: the quality of milk, pasteurization of milk, salting and cheese ripening.

Milk as raw material – is the first critical control point, which contains significant risks in the production of dairy products. The quality of raw material in the production of cheese exhibits higher and specific requirements. Only cheese production milk is used, which has not only the necessary physical, chemical and microbiological parameters, but also characterized by certain biological and technological properties.

The research results indicate that all investigated milk met the standards. Mainly for processing into cheese milk received higher and the first grade.

Correlation of fat and protein was 1,15, fat and fat dry milk residue – 0,42, protein and fat dry milk residue – 0,36, indicating the suitability of milk for cheese production. Titrated acidity on average reached 17 °T, indicating the freshness and naturalness of milk. Active acidity averaged 6,65 at a rate of 6,3-6,9. Investigated  fermenting raw and rennet-fermenting samples corresponded to the first and the second classes, indicating the absence of the bacteria of E. coli and spore anaerobic microorganisms. Most of the studied samples of milk in terms of content somatic cell corresponded to the highest quality.

Inhibitory substances (antibiotics) in raw milk determined  by rapid method using a test set of «Copan Test». None of the analyzed samples of milk antibiotic was found.

According to research results, the majority of samples of milk for microbial contamination met the requirements of the first (22 samples) and the second (21 sample) grades according to the state standard.

Analysis of content  of main microflora of milk before pasteurization and after showed that during heat treatment the number of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms decreased on average by more than 6 times. Thermophilic molds did not withstand pasteurization regimes and  gave  no growth on nutrient medium after heat treatment. Most of the residual microflora - is microflora, which provides cheese ripening process together with the microbial starter cultures.

Critical control point is the process of salting the cheese in brine, as a result of diffuse osmotic processes a portion of the components cheese dough and its microflora gets into the brine. We investigated the survival of certain microorganisms damage in brine, in particular - the yeast that grow well in acidic medium and are precursors to the development of mold and putrefactive microflora. The results showed that the yeast in brine do not develop, and gradually die. Bacteria of E. coli in brine were not found.

The nex critical control point is the ripening of cheese. Our research found that in microflora of cheese at the end of extrusion lactic acid bacteria were dominated. On the 10th day of ripening bacteria amount was the highest and then decreased due to their extinction. Bacteria of E. Coli were not found.

Study of separate quality indices of rennet cheese after ripening showed that the mass fraction of fat in cheese slightly higher than the minimum level (not less     45 %) and averaged 45,73±0,26 %. Water content averaged 41,3±0,23 % for the regulated rate not exceeding 44 %. Mass fraction of salt did not exceed the standard indicators (from 1,5 to 3,0 %) and amounted to 1,69±0,07 %. Active acidity of cheese was 5,26±0,03 (at a rate of 5,25 to 5,45).

In all investigated samples of cheese pathogenic organisms were not detected.

The results of investigation of cheese on heavy metals show that these indices are well below the maximum permitted level. Thus, the content of cadmium was 0.01 mg/kg of arsenic - 0,027±0,009, mercury - 0,005±0,001 and of lead - 0,143±0,048 mg/kg.

Key words: milk, cheese, quality, safety, risk, critical control point, system of food safety management.