Avaliação de coliformes termotolerantes em amostras de carne bovina e superfície de balança em pontos de venda na região sul do RS

Abstract

Meat is an important food for the human nutrition, being a source of protein, but is a highly perishable food, and needs to be stored and displayed at low temperatures since slaughter until consumption. The handlers are very important to maintain quality during processing of the cuts, cases of contamination can represent a serious risk to consumer health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sanitary quality of meat cuts at points of sale and surface of weighing-machine. The samples were collected at four points of sales in the counties of Bagé and Pelotas in state of RS. Were held two samples at each point of sale and were sampled chuck surfaces, cuts in service counters and self-service, ground beef and surface of weighingmachine. In all samples were performed thermotolerant coliforms count (CTT). The lowest scores were found in samples chuck where 93.75% (15/16) of the samples had counts <3 NMP.cm-2. In the other cuts, the counts obtained were higher in exposed at the counter of which 62.5% (10/16) of the samples had counts 1,73.10² NMP.g-1, exposed cuts in the self-service counters 87.5% (14/16) of the samples had counts 2,48.10² NMP.g-1. Already ground beef 68.75% (11/16) had counts 1,24.10² NMP.g-1, it is the only cut analyzed that showed superior detection limits of the technique counts. Samples of the weighing-machine 100% (16/16) had scores below the detection limits of the technique. With the data obtained it can be concluded that there are sanitary-hygienic failures during processing of the cuts in retail points, due to chuck show the lowest scores compared to other cuts.