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INTRODUCTION: Cheese should be produced from ingredients of good quality and processed under hygienic conditions. Further, cheese should be transported, stored and sold in an appropriate manner in order to avoid, among other things, the incorporation of extraneous materials (filth) of biological origin or otherwise, in contravention of the relevant food legislation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the hygienic conditions of "prato", "mussarela", and "mineiro" cheeses sold at the street food markets in the city of S. Paulo, Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Forty-seven samples of each of the three types of cheese were collected during the period from March, 1993 to February, 1994. The Latin square was used as a statistical model for sampling and random selection of the street markets from which to collect the cheese samples. The samples were analysed for the presence of extraneous matters outside for which purpose the samples were washed and filtered and inside, for which the methodology of enzymathic digestion of the sample with pancreatine, followed by filtering,was used. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Of the 141 samples analysed, 75.9% exhibited at least one sort of extraneous matters. For the "prato" and "mussarela" cheeses, the high number of contaminated samples was due mainly to extraneous matters present inside the cheese, whereas in the "mineiro" cheese, besides the internal filth, 100% of the samples had external filth.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi padronizar procedimentos analíticos para quantificação de filamentos micelianos e de matérias estranhas em frutas em calda e avaliar tais contaminantes em 114 amostras de diferentes tipos e marcas. Para as análises de contagem de filamentos micelianos (contagem Howard) e de Geotrichum foram adotados os métodos da Association of Official Analytical Chemists e para matérias estranhas, os métodos descritos no Macroanalytical Procedures Manual. Os resultados mostraram que os métodos podem ser utilizados pelos laboratórios de microscopia de alimentos. Quanto aos resultados das análises para avaliar a contaminação dos produtos, 53,5% das amostras mostraram-se em desacordo com a legislação em vigor por apresentarem filamentos micelianos na contagem Howard, 46,5% por conterem filamentos de Geotrichum e 32,5% devido à presença de matérias estranhas. Apenas 21,1% das amostras não apresentaram contaminantes. Os resultados obtidos evidenciaram necessidade de revisão na legislação em vigor para as frutas em calda, com o estabelecimento de limites de tolerância para filamentos micelianos pela contagem Howard e para fragmentos de insetos. OCCURRENCE OF MYCELIAL FRAGMENTS AND EXTRANEOUS MATERIALS IN CANNED SYRUP FRUITS COMMERCIALIZED IN SÃO PAULO, SP Abstract The aim of the present work was the standardization of analytical methods for the quantification of mycelial fragments and extraneous materials (filth) in canned syrup fruits and the evaluation of such contaminants in 114 samples of different types of brands. It was used the methodology described in the AOAC International to mycelial fragments (Howard mold count) and to Geotrichum mold count and the Macroanalytical Procedures Manual to isolate the extraneous materials (filth). The methods adopted showed to be appropriate, making their use possible by food microscopy laboratories. The hygienic conditions was in disagreement with the Brazilian legislation for food 53,5% of samples containing mycelial fragments of mold (Howard mold count), 46,5% containing mycelial fragments of Geotrichum and 32,5% with extraneous materials, while 21,1% didn’t show any contaminants. The results obtained evidenced the need of a revision in actual legislation of syrup fruits, with the establishment of tolerance limits to the mycelial fragments by Howard counting and to insect fragments.

Área de concentração: Nutrição Orientadora: Profl Titular MARIA JOSÉ RONCADA SÃO PAULO }los pro.féssores e funcwnários do ®epartamento de :Nutrição da Pacuúfade de Saúde Pú6/lca, que direta ou indiretamente contri6uíram para a realização deste tra6afno. ;f )ngefa 5Waria