Qualidade microbiológica de queijo-coalho comercializado em Aracaju, SE

The Behavior of Consumers and Producers of Food of Animal Origin and Their Impacts in One Health

Most people consume animal foods, for example meats, but few are concerned with the quality and origin of these products. Many studies point out hygiene problems of these foods after production; however, the lack of knowledge of the consumers of animal products about the importance of hygienic-sanitary control during the production process can lead them to a bad choice when buying these products and, consequently, expose themselves to the risk of acquiring many diseases, such as zoonosis. In this perspective, the objective of this work is to reflect about the consumers' role in the production of safe food of animal origin and to show that the population's health education is necessary and urgent. Only by helping the consumers to obtain knowledge about the production of animal products origin will there be a change in consumption habits, preventing the ingestion of contaminated foods that can cause damage to human health and to the environment, consequently, promoting one's health.

Microbiological quality and safety of Brazilian artisanal cheeses

The establishment of norms that regulates the production and trade of Brazilian Artisanal Cheeses (BAC) has been stimulating many small farmers for this activity. The predominance of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is a typical characteristic of BAC, which confers desirable attributes to artisanal cheeses. However, these products can be contaminated by other microbial groups, including those that indicate hygienic failures during production and may cause spoilage, or even microorganisms that pose risks to consumers' health. A systematic review of the literature published from January 1996 to November 2020 was carried out to identify scientific data about production characteristics and microbiological aspects of BAC, with a major focus on quality and safety status of these traditional products. Studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria indicated that artisanal chesses produced in Brazil still do not satisfactorily meet the microbiological criteria established by the national laws, mainly due to the high counts of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and coliforms. Despite low prevalence, pathogens such as Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were isolated in some BAC. This review contributed to better understanding microbiological aspects of BAC, the data compiled by the authors highlight the need to improve hygiene practices along the production chain of these traditional cheeses.

O comércio de queijo de coalho na orla de Salvador, Bahia: trabalho infantil e segurança de alimentos

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar o comércio de queijo de coalho na orla marítima de Salvador (BA) na perspectiva do trabalho infantil e da segurança de alimentos. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, com entrevista de 40 vendedores, menores de 18 anos, e análise microbiológica de 80 amostras de queijo, 40 cruas e 40 assadas, submetidas aos seguintes procedimentos: contagem de micro-organismos aeróbios mesófilos e anaeróbios facultativos e estafilococos coagulase-positiva, estimativa do número mais provável de coliformes totais e termotolerantes Escherichia coli e pesquisa de Salmonella spp. RESULTADOS: A maioria dos vendedores era do sexo masculino (75%), estudantes (95%), com aproximadamente 14 anos. Como principais motivos para o trabalho estavam a complementação na renda familiar e a ocupação. A atividade ocorria, sobretudo, nos finais de semana, gerando renda entre meio e um salário-mínimo. Em média, a jornada diária era de 7 horas e o tempo na atividade de 21,6 meses. O queijo procedia de fornecedores informais e era mantido à temperatura ambiente, sendo registrados descuidos e noções insuficientes dos vendedores quanto à higiene de alimentos. Amostras cruas apresentaram contaminações expressivas por micro-organismos aeróbios mesófilos, estafilococos coagulase-positiva e por coliformes e termotolerantes, média de 8,14 e 1,95 log UFC/g e 4,3 log NMP/g; amostras assadas, na mesma ordem, registraram: 6,47 e 1,00 log UFC/g e 2,09 log NMP/g. Escherichia coli e Salmonella spp. também foram identificadas: 95% das amostras cruas e 50% das assadas classificaram-se como não conformes. CONCLUSÃO: Confirmam-se o trabalho infantil e a insegurança microbiológica para o queijo de coalho nas praias de Salvador (BA), e sinaliza-se a necessidade de intervenção.