Hygienic-health quality and microbiological hazard of clandestine Minas Frescal cheese commercialized in north Tocantins, Brazil

Abstract

Cheese is a popular product that integrates the diet of the majority of the population, almost on a daily basis. It is rich in nutrients and, therefore, also an excellent substrate for the multiplication of microorganisms, including pathogens. The microbiological contamination of these products is highly relevant to the industry, resulting in an economic loss, and to public health, due to the risk of causing foodborne diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary quality and the presence of bacterial pathogens in the clandestine Minas Frescal cheeses sold in the street open markets of Araguaína, TO, Brazil. Twenty-one samples were collected to evaluate the presence of total (TC) and thermotolerant (TTC) coliforms, Escherichia coli, and the pathotypes enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS), Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes. The results showed that 100% of the cheese samples were in disagreement with the maximum standards of TC and TTC defined in the Brazilian legislation that regulates food quality control. In addition, 85.71% of the samples had values above the standard Brazilian maximum limit. In the study of diarrheagenic E. coli, 52.38%, 66.6%, and 4.76% of the samples were positive for EPEC, STEC, and EHEC, respectively, indicating fecal origin contamination of the samples and a potential consumer risk. No Salmonella spp. or Listeria monocytogenes were detected in these cheese samples. The high count of total and thermotolerant coliforms found in the samples demonstrates unsatisfactory sanitary conditions in the production, storage, and/or commercialization of this food product. The presence of EPEC, STEC, EHEC, and coagulase-positive staphylococci at high concentrations shows the health risk of the imminent consumption of Minas Frescal cheese.

Impact of the pre-slaughter period on the contamination of bovine leather and the operational sanitary procedure for skinning on the quality and microbiological safety of the carcass

“…For the analysis of viable but nonculturable (VBN) isolates of E. coli, a 1 mL aliquot from each pool was inoculated into 10 mL of EC broth, incubated at 45 °C, and subsequently streaked onto eosin blue methylene agar (Merck, Darmstadt, Germany), according to the method described by Oliveira et al (2021), to demonstrate the real presence and increase the analytical sensitivity and recovery of isolates for molecular characterization. From each pool, ~30 isolates suggestive of E. coli were recovered and pooled with those recovered from the Petrifilm EC plates.…”

Avaliação Da Qualidade Microbiológica De Queijos De Coalho Comercializados Em Lavras-Mg

“…Por ser rico em nutrientes, torna-se um excelente meio para multiplicação de microrganismos, até mesmo os patogênicos. Desse modo, a contaminação microbiológica desses produtos é de extrema importância para a indústria, podendo causar um prejuízo econômico, e para a saúde pública, devido ao risco de ocasionar doenças de origem alimentar (LIMA; CARDOSO, 2019;OLIVEIRA et al, 2021;VILLAS BOAS et al, 2020;VISOTTO et al, 2011).…”

Inovação Gestão e Sustentabilidade na Agroindústria - Volume 02

“…Por ser rico em nutrientes, torna-se um excelente meio para multiplicação de microrganismos, até mesmo os patogênicos. Desse modo, a contaminação microbiológica desses produtos é de extrema importância para a indústria, podendo causar um prejuízo econômico, e para a saúde pública, devido ao risco de ocasionar doenças de origem alimentar (LIMA;OLIVEIRA et al, 2021;VILLAS BOAS et al, 2020;VISOTTO et al, 2011).…”