Genotypical characterization of thermotolerant coliforms isolated from food produced by a Solidarity Economic Venture of Bahia (Brazil)

Abstract

Many Solidarity Economic Venture (SEV) are family farmers who seek to add value to production through artisanal processing, which can lead to food contamination. Thus, this study aimed to genotypically characterize thermotolerant coliforms (TtC) strains from food produced by local agribusinesses of SEV during January to April 2019. Samples from thirteen production units (PU) from the SEV were submitted to a microbiological analysis of thermotolerant coliforms (AFNOR 3M1/2 – 09/89), using a fast count method in Petrifilm™ dishes. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique was used to verify the following virulence genes (VGs) associated with Escherichia coli: stx, typical from enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC); bfpA typical from entheropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and elt and slt, typical from entherotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). The results showed that two samples of queijadinha (typical Brazilian candy made with eggs and coconut) and one sample of cassava cake presented characteristic colonies TtC. This way, three strains were isolated in order to perform the PCR technique. However, the genes used in the reaction were not detected in the isolated strains. Therefore, it is suggested that the isolated strains are from E. coli pathotypes with different virulence genes than the ones analyzed belong other types of TtC, such as Enterobacter and Klebsiella. Although the virulence of genes has not been confirmed, the presence of TtC on food indicates hygiene flaws during production and, therefore, measurements to control and prevent contamination should be taken.

Development of an Educational Gamification Strategy to Enhance the Food Safety Practices of Family Farmers in Public Food Markets of Northeast Brazil: A Case Study

“…The smallholder farmers in Brazil tend to belong to associations and cooperatives that allow them to reach economies of scale in both input acquisition and output commercialization, such as street food or cooked/processed foods sold informally in marketplaces [1,2,37]. The main characteristics of these associations and cooperatives are self-management, resultssharing, and a horizontal structure, in which the family farmers have the autonomy to make their own decisions [8]. There was an increase in the number of cooperatives in Brazil, where their production increased from 1548 in 2010 to 1613 in 2018 [1,8,12].…”

“…The main characteristics of these associations and cooperatives are self-management, resultssharing, and a horizontal structure, in which the family farmers have the autonomy to make their own decisions [8]. There was an increase in the number of cooperatives in Brazil, where their production increased from 1548 in 2010 to 1613 in 2018 [1,8,12]. Many of these groups seek to add economic value to their agricultural production through processing.…”

“…Nevertheless, family farmers' markets can also be considered a food safety risk due to the commonly reported low level of hygiene during the production and commercialization of processed food and the implication on foodborne disease outbreaks. On the other hand, there are government regulations for hygienic measures in handling food that impose certain requirements for food safety [6][7][8][9].…”

“…However, there is no requirement regarding the structure of how the training should be developed. Mainly for family farmers marketing street foods, whose issues related to hygiene are critical in many countries, there is an urgent demand to develop training strategies regarding food safety practices [6][7][8][9]11].…”

Perfil microbiológico das mãos de manipuladores das lanchonetes de um campus universitário

“…A principal via de contaminação é a manipulação deficiente no quesito higiene; e a ingestão de alimentos contaminados causa As enterobactérias são uma família de bacilos gram-negativos com muitas propriedades em comum (TRABULSI, 1986). O habitat natural deste grupo de micro-organismos é o intestino de humanos e outros animais de sangue quente (SILVA et al, 2021b). Quando encontradas em alimentos e nas mãos dos manipuladores, é indicativo de higiene insuficiente (ABREU, MEDEIROS;SANTOS, 2011).…”