Microbiological analysis of ground beef commercialized in supermarkets in Macapá, Amapá

Abstract

Because the meat is a food rich in nutrients (fat, protein, minerals and vitamins, and easily accessible, ground beef is widely consumed throughout Brazil. However, during the production process it is a highly manipulated product that can lead to microbial contamination. In this way, the objective of this work was to analyze the microbiological characteristics of ground beef commercialized in supermarkets in the city of Macapá, Amapá. Three samples of ground beef were taken in portions of 500 g randomly direct from the refrigerated counters in ten supermarkets located in different points of the city of Macapá during from February to July of 2018, totaling 30 samples. At the time of the collection, the infrared thermometer was used to measure the exposure temperature. The samples were sent to the Food Science and Technology Center of the Institute of Scientific and Technological Research of the State of Amapá-IEPA. The microbiological analyzes were the presence / absence of Salmonella spp. in 25 g of sample and Standard Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus Count (CFU / g). Regarding the temperature of exposure, it was possible to verify that 8 (88.89%) of the samples evaluated had temperatures above 4 ° C, not complying with current legislation. The microbiological analyzes performed in this study showed absence in all samples for Salmonella spp., but positive results in 100% of the establishments evaluated for Staphylococcus coagulase positive, where the amplitude was 2.3x103 at 2x105 CFU/g. Supermarkets even using mechanized processes during the production stages and passing through a standard of control considered more demanding than other establishments, it was still possible to contact an expressive number of Staphylococcus contamination, that even if the legislation does not provide this microorganism, it is still considered one of the pathogens most involved with outbreaks and sporadic cases of food poisoning.