Avaliação microbiológica de alface e couve comercializados nas feiras livres na cidade de Fortaleza-CE

Abstract

In the current scenario, there is an increase in the search for fresh vegetables, which are considered an important vehicle for the manipulation of microorganisms that cause foodborne illnesses (DTAs), since they are consumed in their natural state. The open-air markets stand out in the reception of these products, but they have problems regarding handling, storage and hygienic-sanitary conditions for the distribution of food products. The objective of this study was to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary conditions and the microbiological quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea) from street markets in the city of Fortaleza-CE. Inspection questionnaires (check-list) were applied in ten stands of five fairs, evaluating the hygiene habits of handlers, facilities and surroundings, utensils and food hygiene. At each fair, a sample of a lettuce sample and a cabbage sample were collected, totaling ten samples of vegetables, which were submitted to analyzes of mesophilic aerobes, total coliforms and thermotolerant coliforms. Regarding the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the stalls evaluated, it was found that eight stalls out of the ten evaluated met less than 50% of the conformity of the items, evaluating, in general, that the fairs have undue structures for exposing fruit and vegetables and inadequate conditions of hygiene. As for the microbiological analyses, both lettuce and cabbage samples showed contamination by mesophilic aerobes and total coliforms, while for thermotolerant coliforms the results ranged from <3.0 x 10 MPN/g to >1.1 x 103, showing contamination by coliforms thermotolerant, indicating that, at some point, there was contamination of fecal origin, with such a result, a great possibility of them presenting pathogenic microorganisms. When viewing the poor hygienic-sanitary condition of the stalls and the occurrence of samples contaminated with microorganisms indicative of lack of hygienic-sanitary control, it is suggested to carry out general guidelines aimed at the stallholders in order to clarify the need to improve the conditions of display and commercialization of horticultural products, as well as actions that clarify the correct preparation and hygiene procedures for domestic consumption and their importance.