An attempt was made to evaluate microbiological quality of horticultural crops grown organically. Three species of vegetables were used, lettuce (Lactuva sativa), radish (Raphanus sativus) and spinach (Tetragonia expansa), grown organically, in fertile soil. Six different treatments were applied: mineral fertilizer, chicken, cow, and pig manure, chicken litter and cow manure, in association with a liquid foliar biofertilizer. These crops were handled according to correct agronomic practices for growing crops organically for commercial purposes. Samples were examined for the Most Probable Number (MPN/g/mL) of total and fecal coliforms and to detect the presence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. All analyzed samples were considered acceptable for consumption, as Salmonella spp. was not detected. However, 63.3%, 50.0%, and 23.3% of the samples of lettuce, radish and spinach, respectively, contained ≥10 2 total coliforms/g of product. None of the samples of spinach or radish presented ≥10 2 fecal coliforms/g, and only 6.6% of lettuce samples contained >10 2 fecal coliforms/g. The presence of E. coli was confirmed in one sample of spinach, cultivated with cow manure.

Sewage from the various water uses such as domestic and industrial uses, as well as a high content of organic matter may contain chemical, toxic and pathogenic microorganisms. The present study was developed at the Sewage Treatment Station (ETE) in the municipality of Santa Helena de Goiás - Goiás and had as objective to evaluate the efficiency of the sewage treatment process in the elimination of fecal microbial contamination regarding the level of thermotolerant coliforms . Samples were collected in the months of March, April, May and June, which corresponded, respectively, to the rainy and dry season. The samples collected at the arrival of the raw sewage, in the final emissary, source spring being upstream and upstream were conditioned at 4ºC until the moment of the analysis; the Most Probable Number (NMP) or multiple tubes technique was used. It was verified that the ETE reached a significant efficiency index in the elimination of fecal coliforms, and in the period of rain there was a reduction of 99.8% and in the period of the drought a reduction of 99.7% in the fecal contamination after the treatment of sewage.