Microbial count in kale samples submitted to sanitizing treatments

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Vegetables are rich in water, vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients and, therefore, it is recommended that you consume them raw. On the other hand, they are the foods most susceptible to microbiological contamination, arising from the cultivation soil itself, irrigation and/or previous walking conditions and good practices, which makes their sanitization sufficient. The aiming of this work was to count aerobic mesophilic microorganisms in samples of fresh kale, submitted or not to sanitizing treatments with bleach and vinegar. For this, kale leaves (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) were purchased at a local fair and the supermarket in the municipality of Ariquemes-RO. They were taken to the laboratory, cleaned with running water, followed by sodium hypochlorite or vinegar, then dilutions and plating were carried out to count the units forming colonies of aerobic mesophiles. The analysis of the hygienic-sanitary conditions of the establishments presented different results, while in the fair of agricultural products of the municipality of Ariquemes, of the 17 items fed in the form, 14 were in disagreement with the norm RDC 216/04, in the supermarket, all form items were in compliance. The results of aerobic mesophilic microrganisms in the kale samples purchased at a local supermarket in Ariquemes created lower values than those observed in the samples from the municipal fair. In both places, the controlled kale showed higher values of these microorganisms, when compared to the sanitized ones, being the use of treated bleach more efficient when compared to the use of vinegar. The use of vinegar for sanitizing food was not recommended due to its low efficiency in reducing microorganisms potentially causing diseases transmitted by food