CONTRIBUIÇÃO AO ESTUDO DA QUALIDADE MICROBIOLÓGICA E FÍSICO-QUÍMICA DO LEITE UHT

UHT milk is the most consumed type of milk in Brazil. Its consumption has been increasing in the last years due to its easy storage and extended shelf life. The aim of this work was to verify microbiological and physico-chemical quality and also labeling from UHT milk commercialized in Londrina, in addition, carry out other analysis not required by legislation that may collaborate with quality evaluation of the product. For that, 33 UHT milk samples were evaluated for parameters established by law, as well as for other parameters which have no official standards. In fat analysis 18.18% of samples were out of standards; 33.3% of samples were acid; 6.25% of skimmed milk presented nonfat solids lower than the minimum; 21.21% samples presented mesophilic aerobe counts above acceptable. Concerning complementary analysis 30.3% of samples presented some level of gelation; cryoscopy of the majority of samples was incompatible with milk added with sodium citrate. Results show problems with UHT milk, together with analysis not required by legislation, what suggests that legislation should be complemented, establishing quality control parameters that allow evaluation of the major problems of this product.O leite UHT é o leite fluido mais consumido no Brasil. Esse consumo vem crescendo nos últimos anos devido a sua praticidade de armazenamento e longa vida útil. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar a qualidade microbiológica, físico-química e a rotulagem dos leites UHT comercializados em Londrina, além de realizar outras análises não especificadas na legislação que podem colaborar com a avaliação da qualidade do produto. Foram avaliadas 33 amostras de leite UHT quanto aos quesitos estipulados pela legislação, além de outras análises para as quais não há padrões oficiais. Na análise de gordura 18,18% das amostras estavam fora do padrão; 33,3% das amostras estavam ácidas; 6,25% dos leites desnatados estavam com o valor de SNG abaixo do mínimo; 21,21% amostras apresentaram contagens de aeróbios mesófilos acima do permitido. Quanto às análises complementares 30,3% das amostras apresentavam algum grau de geleificação; índice crioscópico da maioria das amostras não foi compatível com o leite adicionado de citrato de sódio. Na rotulagem foram encontradas poucas incompatibilidades com a legislação. Os resultados demonstram que há problemas com a qualidade do leite UHT, inclusive nas análises não estipuladas pela legislação, o que sugere que a legislação do leite UHT deve ser complementada, de modo a estabelecer parâmetros de controle de qualidade que possibilitem a avaliação dos principais problemas desse produto.Palavras-chave: leite UHT; qualidade microbiológica; qualidade físicoquímica;geleificação; rotulagem.UHT milk is the most consumed type of milk in Brazil. Its consumption has been increasing in the last years due to its easy storage and extended shelf life. The aim of this work was to verify microbiological and physico-chemical quality and also labeling from UHT milk commercialized in Londrina, in addition, carry out other analysis not required by legislation that may collaborate with quality evaluation of the product. For that, 33 UHT milk samples were evaluated for parameters established by law, as well as for other parameters which have no official standards. In fat analysis 18.18% of samples were out of standards; 33.3% of samples were acid; 6.25% of skimmed milk presented nonfat solids lower than the minimum; 21.21% samples presented mesophilic aerobe counts above acceptable. Concerning complementary analysis 30.3% of samples presented some level of gelation; cryoscopy of the majority of samples was incompatible with milk added with sodium citrate. Results show problems with UHT milk, together with analysis not required by legislation, what suggests that legislation should be complemented, establishing quality control parameters that allow evaluation of the major problems of this product.