Avaliação microbiólogica de alimentos comercializados por ambulantes durante um evento comemorativo na cidade de Itaqui/RS

Abstract

Informal economic activities have been increasing in recent times, with this increase associated with job closures. Street vending is one of the main activities that comes as a source of alternative or complementary income. However, food preparation requires technical knowledge to prevent the transmission of pathogens that can cause various diseases. In addition, ignorance of the preparation conditions and the facilities used to prepare the food may cause risks of microbiological contamination of the marketed products. This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of snack foods sold by street vendors in the city of Itaqui / RS. For this, several types of snacks (cake, brigadeiro, hot dog, barbecue, fried ground beef pastries and fried chicken drumstick) were acquired during a commemorative event held on public roads. In addition to the collection were also observed the conditions of commercialization, in relation to the basic requirements of food handling (personal care, conditions of handling and storage of food). The foods were analyzed for general quality indicators (total mesophilic aerobic count and enterobacterial count) as well as microbiological evaluations of pathogenic microorganisms often associated with the consumption of mixed foods (staphylococci and thermotolerant coliforms). Observation of marketing conditions indicated that of the 14 vendors evaluated, less than half used protection against hair loss in food, and it was observed that in 5 places the handlers presented faults in the care of personal cleanliness (nails long, dirty or with nail polish). Regarding the conditions of handling and storage were observed outdoor products, without maintaining the ideal temperature, suggesting inadequate packaging of marketed foods and absence of specific personnel to receive the money. Regarding microbiological evaluations, the total mesophilic aerobic count ranged from <2 to 6 log CFU / g, being the highest found in hot dogs, while the lowest counts were found in pasties. No staph was detected in any of the products evaluated. Enterobacteria were detected only in hot dog samples, ranging from 1.3 log CFU / g to 2.67UFC log / g. Thermotolerant coliform counts ranged from <0.48 log MPN / g to 2.32 log MPN / g, where one sample of cake and one barbecue were in disagreement with the limits of the legislation. With these results it can be concluded that the food marketed by street vendors, in certain cases, can be a pathogen transmission vehicle, especially when the handling and storage conditions are inadequate, demonstrating the need for a program of supervision, control and training of street vendors to adjust the conditions of sale and handling to acceptable levels and thus be a means of generating income and providing practical and above all safe food. In general, mixed foods are the most prone to contamination, such as pot cake and hot dogs, unlike those that have been subjected to heat and with less preparation steps, such as pastels, which have low counts and within limits advocated by the legislation.