Tropical Fruit Pulps: Processing, Product Standardization and Main Control Parameters for Quality Assurance

ABSTRACT Fruit pulp is the most basic food product obtained from fresh fruit processing. Fruit pulps can be cold stored for long periods of time, but they also can be used to fabricate juices, ice creams, sweets, jellies and yogurts. The exploitation of tropical fruits has leveraged the entire Brazilian fruit pulp sector due mainly to the high acceptance of their organoleptic properties and remarkable nutritional facts. However, several works published in the last decades have pointed out unfavorable conditions regarding the consumption of tropical fruit pulps. This negative scenario has been associated with unsatisfactory physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of fruits pulps as outcomes of little knowledge and improper management within the fruit pulp industry. There are protocols for delineating specific identity and quality standards (IQSs) and standardized good manufacturing practices (GMP) for fruit pulps, which also embrace standard operating procedures (SOPs) and hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), although this latter is not considered mandatory by the Brazilian legislation. Unfortunately, the lack of skilled labor, along with failures in complying established protocols have impaired quality of fruit pulps. It has been necessary to collect all information available with the aim to identify the most important hazards within fruit pulp processing lines. Standardizing methods and practices within the Brazilian fruit pulp industry would assurance high quality status to tropical fruit pulps and the commercial growth of this vegetal product towards international markets

Restaurantes self-service: segurança e qualidade sanitária dos alimentos servidos Self-service restaurants: food safety and sanitary quality

OBJETIVO: Esse trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar a temperatura e a qualidade sanitária de alimentos servidos nos balcões de distribuição em restaurantes self-service no município de Taubaté (SP), com vistas à discussão da segurança alimentar. MÉTODOS: Foram coletadas quatro amostras, sendo dois alimentos quentes e dois alimentos frios de 16 restaurantes; antes da coleta mediu-se a temperatura dos alimentos expostos nos balcões de distribuição. As amostras foram analisadas quanto aos seguintes parâmetros: contagem de bactérias aeróbias mesófilas, determinação de coliformes a 35ºC e a 45ºC, contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase positiva e detecção de Salmonella. RESULTADOS: Cinquenta e seis (87,5%) alimentos estavam em temperaturas inadequadas, alimentos frios expostos em temperaturas acima de 10ºC e alimentos quentes abaixo de 60ºC. Bactérias aeróbias mesófilas em contagem acima de 10(6) UFC/g foram detectadas em 11% das amostras e coliformes a 35ºC e coliformes a 45ºC foram detectadas em 76,6% e 43,7% das amostras, respectivamente. Dois alimentos, sendo um frio e um quente, provenientes de um mesmo restaurante, apresentaram contagem de Staphylococcus coagulase positivo acima de 10(4) UFC/g. Todas as amostras apresentaram ausência de Salmonella. CONCLUSÃO: A manutenção dos alimentos servidos, nos balcões de distribuição, em temperaturas abusivas e a presença de microrganismos indicadores de qualidade sanitária em número elevado comprometem a segurança e podem colocar em risco a saúde dos consumidores, em restaurantes self-service. Os instrumentos utilizados demonstraram-se como ferramentas importantes de avaliação da segurança das refeições servidas.<br>OBJECTIVE: This work aimed to assess the temperature and sanitary quality of the foods available on the buffet table of self-service restaurants located in the city of Taubaté (SP), in order to discuss food safety. METHODS: Four samples, two of cold dishes and two of hot dishes, were collected from each of 16 restaurants. The temperature of the foods on the buffet table was measured before the sample was taken. The following parameters were investigated for each sample: aerobic mesophilic bacteria count, determination of coliforms at 35ºC and 45ºC, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus count and presence of Salmonella. RESULTS: The temperature of 56 (87.5%) foods was inadequate: cold dishes were kept above 10ºC and hot dishes were kept below 60ºC. Aerobic mesophilic bacteria counts above 10(6) CFU/g were detected in 11% of the samples, coliforms at 35ºC in 76.6% and coliforms at 45ºC in 43.7%. Two foods, one cold and one hot, both from the same restaurant, had a coagulase-positive Staphylococcus count above 10(4) CFU/g. Salmonella was not found in any of the samples. CONCLUSION: Keeping the foods available on buffet tables under incorrect temperatures and a high count of microorganisms that indicate poor sanitary quality of the food can compromise safety and jeopardize the customer's health. The instruments used in this study proved to be important tools for assessing food safety