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The objective of this research was to evaluate the microbial and parasitic contamination in lettuce sold in open markets and supermarkets in the city of Mossoró. For parasitological evaluation, spontaneous sedimentation and flotation methods were applied. For the microbiological part, the Most Probable Number (MPM) of total and thermotolerant coliforms was estimated, as well as the positivity of Salmonella sp. Regarding parasitic analysis it was found that the samples had a total index of 62.5% (45/72) of contamination, 40.3% (29/72) with Ancylostomatidae sp., 29.2% (21/72) with Strongyloides sp., 1.4% (1/72) Ascaris sp., 1.4% (1/72) Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, 1.4% (1/72) Endolemax nana, and 2.8% (2/72) Entamoeba coli. For microbiological analyzes, an index of 100% (12/12) of the samples showed contamination by total coliforms and 25% (3/12) of thermotolerant coliforms, above the maximum value allowed by Brazilian legislation, and absence of Salmonella sp. However, there was no difference in microbial and parasitic contamination between the commercial establishments in this research. Finally, the neglect of the lettuce's hygienic-sanitary conditions by the commercial establishments depicted here is evident, as well as the potential health risk to which the population is exposed.

Since drug-resistant nematodes became a common problem in sheep and goat industries, alternative methods using natural products have emerged as a viable and sustainable anthelmintic treatment option. Here, the in vitro effect of essential oil extracted from Lippia gracilis Schauer was assessed on the hatching process of nematodes recovered from naturally infected goats. Essential oil at concentrations of 0.08% (0.008 μL/mL), 0.12% (0.012 μL/mL), and 0.16% (0.016 μL/mL) was able to induce an average inhibition of 74.7, 84 and 93%, respectively. The effective concentration required to inhibit egg hatching in 50% of eggs (EC50) was 0.03452%. Therefore, essential oil of L. gracilis showed promisor in vitro anthelmintic results against egg-hatching of goat gastrointestinal nematodes.

A salsicha é um embutido cárneo altamente comercializado e consumido pela população brasileira. Contudo, a alta manipulação durante o processamento aumenta os riscos de contaminação, sendo necessário a investigação da qualidade para verificar se o alimento está apto para o consumo humano. Assim, objetivou-se avaliar a qualidade físico-química e microbiológica de salsichas do tipo hot dog comercializadas no município de Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. As amostras foram selecionadas e adquiridas em supermercados com venda à granel, sendo aferida a temperatura no ato da compra e transportadas ao laboratório em caixas isotérmicas para a realização das análises. Avaliou-se a temperatura, umidade, acidez e pH, bem como a qualidade microbiológica para coliformes totais, coliformes termotolerantes, Salmonella sp., bactérias mesófilas e bolores e leveduras. Verificou-se que 70% das amostras estavam com a temperatura acima do permitido para embutidos cárneos resfriados. Os valores encontrados nas análises de umidade, acidez e pH foram satisfatórios quando comparados à legislação vigente. Quanto às análises microbiológicas, 10% das salsichas apresentaram contagens de coliformes termotolerantes acima do valor de referência na Instrução Normativa vigente e em 20% constou a presença de Salmonella sp., o que torna tais amostras impróprias para o consumo humano, apresentando um risco em potencial à saúde pública. As amostras apresentaram contagens elevadas para bactérias aeróbias mesófilas e bolores e leveduras, podendo sugerir possíveis contaminações e condições de insalubridade durante o processamento. Assim, se faz necessário o emprego de boas práticas de manipulação, processamento e comercialização visando a melhoria na segurança e integridade desse produto.

The objective of the research was to diagnose the presence of parasites in coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) sold in supermarkets and open markets in the city of Mossoró, State of Rio Grande do Norte. In total, 40 samples of coriander were analyzed, 20 of which were sold at open markets and 20 from supermarkets, in search of parasitic structures using the spontaneous sedimentation technique, followed by microscopic analysis. Four supermarkets and four stalls at an open market were randomly analyzed. Among the 40 samples analyzed, 27.5% (11/40) were positive for parasitological contamination, of which 81.8% (9/11) came from open markets and 18.2% (2/11) supermarkets. Among the positive samples, parasitic structures of the genera Ancylostoma sp., Toxocara sp., and Strongyloides sp. Thus, it is concluded that the results demonstrate that a considerable index of the samples is unsuitable for human consumption, and may cause harm to the health of the consumer.