3 resultados para Microbiological contamination
em Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte(UFRN)
Resumo:
The National School Nutrition Program is the oldest program in the country directed at food and nutrition safety. Its aims are to offer nutritional food as a supplement to students of public and philanthropic schools. Studying school nutrition transcends the investigation as a purely social program, given that it reaches the fields of public health, nutrition and food, using a wide variety of approaches. Thus, it is characterized by a multidisciplinary study, where the disciplines work side by side in distinct aspects of a single problem. Aim: This study aims to assess hygiene practices during the preparation of meat-based meals in public schools in the city of Natal, Brazil. Methods: A list was applied at 27 schools to identify the procedures of good food preparation practices. In addition, cooking and meal distribution temperature were measured and a microbiological analysis of the final preparation and of the water used in preparing it was performed. For microbiological analyses of the food, we analyzed coliforms at 45°C, coliforms at 35°C and Enterococcus, and for the water, we analyzed thermotolerant coliforms and total coliforms, using the methods recommended by APHA, 1995. Results: Most of the schools did not meet the required standards in all the variables related to good food preparation practices, except for the time spent preparing the meat, in which 89% were within the norm. Cooking temperature of the meals was within the standard; however, the temperature at distribution and the time spent dispensing the meals were inadequate. Of the 27 schools, 22 (81.5%) showed the presence of coliforms at 35° C in at least one meal sample and 18 (66.7%) had values above the recommended limit for coliforms at 45°C. The presence of E. coli was identified in 6.1% of the samples analyzed. The presence of Enterococcus was not found at any of the schools. With respect to the water, the North district of the city was the only one that did not meet the standards for the two indicators evaluated. The contamination found was not associated with the hygiene or food storage problems observed. Conclusions: The results show that the hygiene-sanitary conditions of meat-based public school meals were unsatisfactory, demonstrating the need for improvements in the production process to preserve the health of the student population. Multidisciplinarity: Researchers from the areas of food microbiology, nutrition, public health and statistics took part in this study, a decisive factor for characterizing the research as multidisciplinary
Resumo:
In Brazil school food is constitutionally guaranteed to public school students at the preschool and elementary level. This food must be nutritious, hygienic and sanitary. The aim of the present study was to assess the hygienic/sanitary conditions of food and table utensil handlers in municipal public schools in Natal, Brazil. In total, 27 public schools were assessed, using a checklist and microbiological analysis of the hands and table utensils. For the microbiological analyses of the hands, coliforms were analyzed at 45ºC and for the utensils aerobic mesophilic bacteria, using methods recognized by AOAC, 2002 and APHA, 1992, respectively. Most of the schools studied did not exhibit good food and utensil handling practice procedures in any of the variables analyzed. It was shown that 74.1% of the handlers received no periodic training, 51.9% did not undergo annual health examinations and 100% did not practice proper hand hygiene, which reflected significantly (p < 0.05) in hand contamination, where fecal coliforms were detected on 55.6% of the hands analyzed. With respect to the utensils, it was found that 100% of the schools studied did not follow correct hygiene practices and most were classified as very bad ; that is, aerobic mesophilic bacteria values above the limits established by PAHO (Pan American Health Organization), with schools in the north and south districts recording the highest percentages. The results show that the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the food and utensil handlers in the schools studied were inadequate, demonstrating the need for implanting good handling practices aimed at protecting the health of children that take part in the program and offering safer foods. Researchers from the areas of food microbiology, nutrition, public health and statistics participated in this study, a decisive factor for characterizing it as multidisciplinary
Resumo:
Coalho cheese is a typical product of the Northeastern Brazil, which is consumed both raw and cooked. The present work aimed to study the characteristics of artisanal and industrial processes in the production of coalho cheese sold in Natal / RN in order to evaluate its quality and consumer s profile. Four artisanal cheeses plants were monitored and a questionnaire was sent to different cheese industries. Besides this, eight cheese samples (four artisanal and four industrial) were evaluated in regard to the microbiological quality, physical-chemical and sensory attributes. The sensory acceptance was evaluated by using 108 non-trained panelists by using the hedonic scale. The consumer s profile survey was applied to 400 consumers of coalho cheese. The lack of hygiene control was detected at the artisanal cheese production, which uses raw milk as its raw material. Research has shown that the industrialized cheeses are made from pasteurized milk provided by their own production or by a third party, as observed in cheese making dairies. In general, the results indicate variation in the manufacturing process of coalho cheese, which results in the lack of product standardization. Regarding the physical-chemical analysis, most artisanal and industrial samples presented moisture content between 36 and 40 %, classified as medium moisture cheese, which is the only parameter that showed no significant difference (p>0.05). However, the water activity (Aw), pH and acidity results differed significantly. All artisanal samples showed coliform contamination at 35 °C, which confirms the poor hygienic conditions. In regard to coliforms at 45 °C, 75 % of artisanal coalho cheese samples had value higher than 103 MPN / g, a value above the lawful limits determined by RDC nº 12. Fifty percent of industrial coalho cheese samples showed coagulase-positive Staphylococcus values above the limit allowed by the RDC nº 12, indicating poor handling. The sensory evaluation revealed that the taste was the only parameter that showed significant difference, and this difference was only between two industrial brands. The consumer s survey showed that the coalho cheese flavor is the most important reason for buying this kind of cheese. Although coalho cheese is mainly bought in supermarkets, open street markets and country shops are still important selling points. It is concluded that there is no coalho cheese standardization in the RN state, which leads to variations in physical-chemical and sensory attributes. Moreover, it is necessary greater hygiene control in the production and handling procedures of coalho cheese.