| Congresso Brasileiro de Microbiologia 2023 | Resumo: 1150-1 | ||||
Resumo:Minimally processed vegetables (MPV) are ready-to-eat products that appeal to consumers looking for healthy and convenient meals. However, the microbiological safety of these products is worrying due to the absence of treatments after their commercialization. This study evaluated the microbiological quality of MPV products in comparison with those commercialized unprocessed in southeastern Brazilian food markets. A total of 100 samples (51 MPV and 49 unprocessed) distributed in watercress, lettuce, escarole, and arugula were analyzed for Enterobacteriaceae, total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. The investigation of the counts of the microbial groups (Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms and E. coli) did not indicate marked differences between the unprocessed and the MPV products. For Enterobacteriaceae, the results varied from 4.1±1.0 log CFU/g to 5.6±1.0 log CFU/g for unprocessed vegetables and 3.4±0.9 to 5.9±1.4 log CFU /g for MPV. The total coliforms count ranged from 4.4±1.1 to 5.4±0.8 log CFU/g for unprocessed vegetables and 3.5±1.0 to 6.0±1.1 log CFU/g for MPV. Although the count values for Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms were generally lower in MPV, there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) when compared to unprocessed vegetables. E. coli was found in 17 (35%) samples of unprocessed vegetables and 9 (18%) samples of MPV, with a mean count of 2.5±1.1 log CFU/g and 3.4±2.1 log CFU/g, respectively. Although the values of E. coli counts were higher in MPV, the prevalence was significantly higher for unprocessed vegetables. The product with the highest incidence of E. coli was unprocessed escarole with 73%, followed by unprocessed watercress (50%) and minimally processed arugula (38%). Salmonella DNA was detected in 4 (4%) samples (3 - unprocessed and 1 - MPV) by conventional PCR. Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in any product, while Listeria innocua was found in two samples of unprocessed products. The results of this study indicate that MPV have, in most cases, similar microbial load as unprocessed vegetables. Since MPVs usually do not undergo further processing at home, these results are worrying because it points to these products as potential vehicles for the transmission of pathogens. These results suggest hygienic failures and/or lack of temperature control during processing and storage of these ready-to-eat products. This study highlights the need for control measures during the production chain of vegetables in order to reduce microbial contamination and the risks of foodborne diseases.
Palavras-chave: food safety, microbial contamination, quality control, ready-to-eat vegetables, unprocessed herbs Agência de fomento:FAPESP, CNPq, USP’s Unified Scholarship Program | |||||