Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) contains a high concentration of antioxidant and phenolic compounds. Pomegranate peel extracts at different concentrations were used as natural antioxidant to increased the lipid stability of fresh Tuscan sausages, comparing with sodium erythorbate (SE). Peels were subjected to ultrasound-assisted aqueous extraction and lyophilization. The extract was previously characterized throught phenol and flavonoids determination. The Tuscan Sausages were prepared, and color, pH, peroxides, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were assessed at 1, 15, and 30 days of storage, at a mean temperature of 5 ± 1 ºC and under a 12-hour light cycle/day. Sausages containing 0.05 and 0.1% of peel extract showed results similar to sodium erythorbate in lipid peroxidation. Sausages treated with pomegranate peel extracts showed an adequate global acceptability level in the sensory analysis. Pomegranate peel extracts are; therefore, a promising natural alternative for maintaining the lipid stability of Tuscan sausages, promoting the protection of the meat and in addition, being able to bring beneficial of the pomegranate to the human health.

BACKGROUND: Listeria monocytogenes is a widespread common contaminant in food production facilities during preparation, storage, and distribution, and minimally processed ready-to-eat products are considered at high risk of contamination by this bacterium. Increased antibiotic resistance has led researchers to search for plant-based natural alternatives to control pathogenic microorganisms. Among these products, essential oils and plant extracts have previously shown antimicrobial activity and are possible alternatives to manage food pathogens. In this study, commercial essential oils (cinnamon, clove, oregano, ginger, and thyme) and plant extracts (pomegranate, acorn, olive, strawberry tree, and dog rose) were tested against L. monocytogenes in a dry-cured ham-based model. RESULTS: Essential oils and plant extracts were screened by agar diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration for anti-L. monocytogenes activity. Cinnamon, pomegranate, and strawberry trees returned the strongest results and were therefore evaluated in a dry-cured ham-based medium assay with water activity of 0.93 or 0.95. The 10% essential oil of cinnamon was capable of completely inhibiting bacterial growth, while strawberry tree and pomegranate extract also showed antilisterial activity (P > 0.05). Water activity influenced the bacterial count of L. monocytogenes in a dry-cured ham-based medium.CONCLUSIONS: There was a reduction in L. monocytogenes with the application of cinnamon essential oil but, because of the negative sensory impact of this particular compound in meat products, we suggest the use of pomegranate or strawberry tree for the biocontrol of Listeria in ready-to-eat products.

Spirulina microalgae possess proven benefits to health. It presents antioxidants that needs to be protected during the food processes, what can be done using microencapsulation techniques. Besides, the encapsulation could prevent the rejection of the food added of Spirulina due to the seaweed flavor. The aim was to accomplish the microencapsulation of Spirulina in maltodextrin and Arabic gum and evaluate the influence in the physicochemical and sensorial profile of handmade ice cream. The ice cream with Spirulina presented 35% to 53% more proteins in relation to the standard formulation. All ice creams showed an acceptability index superior than 70%. The encapsulation was able to mask the taste of seaweed and seaweed aroma; however, this fact does not lead to a greater acceptability of the ice creams.

No abstract

O ritmo de vida acelerado ampliou o interesse em refeições práticas, aumentando a procura por Unidades de Alimentação e Nutrição (UAN). A qualidade e segurança do alimento fornecido está interligada com parâmetros como tempo e temperatura de exposição da refeição, pois a interação desses fatores influencia na multiplicação microbiana. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o tempo e temperatura de preparações quentes de UANs para estimar os riscos correlacionados com a inadequação destes parâmetros e percentual de não conformidades conforme as Boas Práticas de Manipulação de Alimentos. Para tanto, foram aferidas as temperaturas de pratos quentes no período de 10 dias, em três UANs, com noventa minutos de intervalo entre cada aferição, totalizando 540 amostras. Os resultados indicaram temperaturas não conformes na UAN 1 (58,6%), UAN 2 (46%) e UAN 3 (67,8%). Em relação às Boas Práticas de Manipulação de Alimentos, a UAN 1 apresentou 35,8% de conformidade e as unidades 2 e 3 32,1% de conformidade. Nas unidades avaliadas identificou-se falhas na manutenção das temperaturas preconizadas, indicando a necessidade do estabelecimento de processos que minimizem ou eliminem estas não conformidades. As preparações de carnes, seguido pelas guarnições e massas, apresentaram os maiores índices de não conformidades, com diminuição das temperaturas conforme o tempo de exposição. Conclui-se que esses fatores apresentaram altas porcentagens de não conformidades e para saná-las, cada UAN deve ser analisada individualmente, verificando-se os fatores causadores destas não conformidades, como equipamentos, quantidade exposta no buffet, número de comensais e período de reposição, visando assim realizar ações corretivas nos pontos críticos identificados.

O presente trabalho objetivou realizar a análise de água de regiões habitadas por comunidades quilombolas e que possuem pouco conhecimento em relação ao saneamento básico necessário para o consumo da água. Foram realizadas as análises físico-químicas (sólidos totais, demanda bioquímica de oxigênio e oxigênio dissolvido) e analises microbiológicas (coliformes totais e fecais). Conformes os resultados obtidos, pode-se concluir que a água consumida nos pontos coletados se mostra inapropriada para o consumo segundo a Portaria nº2.914/2011, que estabelece a ausência de Escherichia Coli na água, evitando a propagação de doenças e ressaltando-se assim, a necessidade de tratamento para adequação aos padrões de potabilidade.

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is a pathogenic bacterium that can contaminate food and cause public health problems due its ability to form biofilms and resistance to sanitizers, it is responsible for sanitary and economic losses in food producing establishments. The difficulties in controlling biofilms and increasing resistance to traditional antibacterial agents is motivating studies of alternative potential biological agents for the control of pathogenic biofilms, among which lactic acid bacteria (LABs) are included. The objective of this work was to evaluate the activity of LABs against Listeria monocytogenes biofilm formation on polystyrene plates, a surface commonly used in the food industry.Materials, Methods & Results: Lyophilized commercial strains of Bifidobacterium animalis, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus salivaris and Lactobacillus acidophilus were used. The strain of Listeria monocytogenes (L4) was isolated from polystyrene mats from a poultry slaughterhouse cutting room and demonstrated the ability to attach to microplates and resistance to sanitizers (sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide) at all times, temperatures and tested surfaces. The antimicrobial activity of LABs was evaluated by the agar diffusion method. The LABs that presented action on Listeria monocytogenes were selected for the inhibition and/or removal of biofilms in microplates, and all experiments were carried out in triplicate. Only Bifidobacterium animalis and Lactobacillus plantarum demonstrated action against Listeria. monocytogenes in the agar diffusion assays and were selected for inhibition and competition assays. Furthermore, competition of LABs against Listeria monocytogenes adhesion was evaluated. There was no significant difference between LABs and Listeria monocytogenes, alone or in combination, at temperatures of 30ºC and 37ºC in the Listeria monocytogenes inhibition assays on polystyrene surface. The lactic acid bacteria evaluated did not demonstrate inhibition of Listeria monocytogenes adhesin testes with optical density visualization, however, it was possible to identify a reduction in Listeria monocytogenes counts with the application of Bifidobacterium animals and Lactobacillus plantarum in the testes of competition against biofilm formation. In competition tests Bifidobacterium animalis and Lactobacillus plantarum have an injunction in Listeria monocytogenes, indicating that these lactic acid bacteria can retard Listeria biofilm formation on polystyrene surfaces and thus help control the pathogen in the food industry.Discussion: A potential mechanism to control biofilm adhesion and formation of pathogens for nutrients and fixation on surfaces, multiplication factors and surfaces are a challenge in controlling biofilms of pathogenic microorganisms, alternative measures to traditional methods for inactivating pathogens and biofilm formers bacteria are necessary. In this sense, lactic acid bacteria generate high levels of bacteriocin and are effective in inhibiting the biofilm of pathogenic bacteria, however, our study did not reveal this. We verified that Bifidobacterium animalis and Lactobacillus plantarum have an inhibitory action on Listeria monocytogenes, indicating that these lactic acid bacteria can be used to delay the formation of biofilms by Listeria on polystyrene surfaces, helping to control this pathogen in food industry.Keywords: control of biofilm, pathogenic bacteria, food industry, polystyrene surface, FTDs.

Commercial fishing and fish farms represent important sectors in the food industry. The global demand for these products had a significant increase in the last decades, due to the growth of the population, increase in income and in urbanization. To ensure a safe product to the population, the National Plan for Control of Residues and Poisoning (PNCRC) was developed, analyzing risks in products of both fishing and farming, aiming to ensure quality in food product throughout the production chain. In this way, the current document analysis aimed to verify, through reports from 2010 to 2016, the presence of inorganic poisons in fish from farming and commercial fishing. From those reports, the number of unsatisfactory samples in regards to poisons was extracted. This study reported that only fish from commercial fishing showed sample numbers with contamination from mercury, arsenium, plumbum and cadmium, with variations from 8,61% and 25,95%. These contaminated fish shouldn’t be made available for human consumption. For this reason, the NPCRP is an important tool to manage the risks of poisoning, promoting chemical safety on food with animal origins produced in Brazil.