Microbial safety of sausage collected in the central market of Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil

Noventa e três amostras de embutidos coletados no Mercado Público Central de Porto Alegre foram analisadas quanto à presença de Salmonella sp. e à contagem de coliformes fecais. Todos as amostras apresentaram ausência de Salmonella sp., enquanto, em relação aos coliformes fecais, constatou-se que quatorze amostras de embutidos frescais encontravam-se acima do padrão estabelecido pela portaria n° 451, em vigor no momento da coleta. Entretanto, se fossem considerados os parâmetros estabelecidos na Resolução n° 12, em vigor atualmente, apenas cinco amostras seriam consideradas fora de padrão. A maioria das amostras com contagens de coliformes fecais acima de 5x102/g estava armazenadas acima da temperatura adequada no momento da coleta.Ninety-three sausage samples collected in the Central Market of Porto Alegre-RS, Brazil were analyzed for the occurrence of Salmonella sp. and fecal coliform counts. Salmonella sp. was absent in all collected samples. Fourteen samples of fresh pork sausage had fecal coliform counts above the established in the legislation in force at the time of sample collection. On the other hand, only five of these samples would be classified as unfit to be consumed, according the legislation in force now. Most samples with fecal counts above 5x102/g were from sausages stored at temperatures above the recommended at the time of collection