SUMMARYDespite all efforts to store and reduce its consumption, water is becoming less inexhaustible and its quality is falling faster. Considering that water is essential to animal life, it is necessary to adopt measures to ensure its sanitary conditions in order to be fit for consumption. The aim of this study was to analyze the microbiological quality of drinking rainwater used by rural communities of Tuparetama, a small town located in Northeast Brazil. The study covered seven rural communities, totaling 66 households. In each household two samples were collected, one from a tank and the other from a clay pot located inside the home, resulting in 132 samples (tank plus clay pot). Approximately 90% of samples were below the standard recommended by the current legislation, being considered unfit for human consumption. Part of this high microbiological contamination of drinking rainwater could be related to the lack of sanitary education and of an adequate sewerage sanitation system.
The present research aimed to optimize the process of osmotic dehydration (OD) of ginger with hypertonic sucrose solution employing response surface methodology. A 23 experimental planning was carried out and 17 experimental assays were performed based on three independent variables (temperature, concentration of the osmotic solution and immersion time) and three dependent variables (moisture loss (ML), solids gain (SG) and dehydration efficiency index (DEI)). The selected assay conditions exhibited the preferred DEI value (the highest ML and lower SG), which were considered in the optimization. Assay 16 demonstrated to be the most favorable conditions for the osmotic dehydration of ginger (DEI =1.61) at 40 40 °C, 50 °Brix and 90 minutes of immersion time. Assay 1 performed at 34 °C, 44 °Brix and 120 minutes of immersion time also displayed desirable response (DEI =1.45). Thus, these two assays were evaluated for the presence of thermal-tolerant coliforms: Bacillus cereus and Salmonella sp.. The analyses presented values below the acceptable limits, which assured high quality hygienic and sanitary conditions of the product.
Produtos lácteos simbióticos são representantes em destaque entre os alimentos funcionais e por isso o mercado busca a aceitação de novas composições pelo consumidor. Assim, os objetivos desta pesquisa foram avaliar as características sensoriais e vida de prateleira da bebida simbiótica produzida com soro de queijo de coalho fermentado e polpa de graviola. As misturas (n=10) foram defi nidas através de delineamento simplex aumentado. A análise sensorial foi dividida em teste de preferência e por análise descritiva quantitativa. A avaliação da vida de prateleira (pH, acidez total titulável, coliformes, bolores e leveduras, estafi lococos coagulase positiva e bactérias láticas totais) foi realizada após 0, 7, 14, 21 e 28 dias de produção da bebida. Os resultados mostraram que a bebida com 71,5% de soro apresentou boa aceitabilidade sensorial, e que 25% da polpa de graviola favoreceu a aceitação quanto ao sabor e aroma. A bebida manteve as características durante a vida de prateleira, principalmente as bactérias probióticas em níveis recomendados pela legislação vigente. Conclui-se que a aceitação sensorial e estabilidade no armazenamento viabiliza a produção da bebida simbiótica proposta, além de gerar alternativa para utilização do soro residual da produção de queijo de coalho, bem como possibilita redução das perdas pós-colheita da graviola.
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