Microbiological evaluation of minimally processed foods. Genotypic and phenotypic profile of Staphylococcus sp strains, regarding the production of biofilm and enterotoxins / Avaliação microbiológica de alimentos minimamente processados. Perfil genotípico e fenotípico de cepas de Staphylococcus sp, quanto à produção de biofilme e enterotoxinas

Nowadays, consumers are increasingly looking for quality food, that is healthy, easy to prepare and easy to consume and, consequently, minimally processed foods have emerged as this alternative. The objective of this work was to evaluate the microbiological quality of 200 minimally processed fruits and vegetables samples. The samples were collected from products marketed in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in order to determine the most probable number of thermotolerant coliforms (TC) and to detect the presence of Salmonella and Staphylococcus sp. For the Staphylococcus sp strains, the presence of genes related to the production of classical enterotoxins and biofilm was tested. Additionally, the production of enterotoxins and biofilm in vitro by the isolated Staphylococcus sp strains was evaluated. Among the 200 fruits and vegetables samples, 157 (78.5%) were out of the acceptable limits for thermotolerant coliforms. Furthermore, strains producing sed enterotoxin in vitro and strains producing biofilm on stainless steel and glass surfaces were found. Therefore, according to the obtained results, the analyzed products are improper for consumption, presenting contamination levels above law recommendation