Microbiological quality and presence of extraneous matter in industrialized tomato sauces

Abstract

Despite being a staple in the daily diet of the Brazilian population, industrialized tomatoes and their derivatives are often subject to countless contaminants during their production process, which may affect the final quality of these products. This study aimed to investigate the microbiological quality and the presence of extraneous matter in industrialized tomato sauces commercialized in Brazil. To this end, two samples of 21 different “traditional tomato sauce” brands (a total of 42 samples) commercialized in supermarkets in the municipality of Bauru, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed from April to November 2016. Overall, 20 (47.6%) of the 42 samples analyzed were in disagreement with the current Brazilian legislation. After incubation at 35 to 37 °C and 55 °C, no changes in the packages and pH variation >0.2 were observed. However, 9.5% of the samples showed a non-characteristic aspect and 11.9% presented growth of fungi. Regarding the presence of extraneous matter, 11.9% of the samples showed rodent hair above the permitted limit (1 in 100 g) - indicative of risks to human health, whereas 26.2% of them contained non-rodent hair - indicative of failure in adopting good manufacturing practices. Mold filament counting was conducted using the Howard method, and 14.3% of the samples presented values above 40% (acceptable limit) positive microscopic fields. In addition to subsidizing health surveillance actions, such data highlight the need for quality improvement of the raw material used and greater control during the processing of these products.