Avaliação da qualidade microbiológica de queijos tipo minas frescal não inspecionados comercializados em feiras livres da cidade de Uberlândia (MG)

Abstract

Cheeses have been present in the Brazilian territory since the colonization period, being of great importance during the gold mining phase in Minas Gerais, serving as an important ingredient in the diet of the population of the time. Currently, the state of Minas Gerais is responsible for the largest cheese production in the country, the most popular being Minas Frescal cheese, or which is mainly predominant for its high moisture content. Despite the majority of the inspected cheese trade, there is still the illegal sale of uninspected cheeses, which can put the consumer's health at risk, as most of them are manufactured without the application of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which allow the development of a safe product for consumers. As a way to monitor the hygienic conditions of the production process, some indicator microorganisms can be counted. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of uninspected Minas Frescal cheeses sold in open markets in Uberlândia. 85 samples of Minas Frescal type cheeses sold in three open markets in the city were collected. These samples were submitted to counting of mesophilic aerobics (AM), coliforms at 35ºC (C35) and coliforms at 45ºC (C45). The mean counts for AM, CT35 and CT45 were respectively 6.83 (±1.012), 4.95 (±1.035) and 4.44 (±1.234). In addition, most cheeses analyzed were found to be unfit for human consumption when their C35 e C45 counts were compared to legislative parameters. Thus, it is noted the low quality of the analyzed cheeses and the importance of consuming inspected animal foods. In addition, the results show the need for intervention to train these producers in relation to GMP.