Análise parasitológica e microbiológica de hortaliças comercializadas no município de Santo Antônio de Jesus, Bahia (Brasil)

Abstract

Consumption of raw vegetables constitutes a major vehicle of infectious and parasitic agents if not sanitized. This study aimed to evaluate indicators of health conditions of lettuce and coriander sold in the open market and three supermarkets in a city of Bahia. We analyzed 05 samples of each vegetable in the environments, 20 for each vegetable and 40 to the total. For the parasitic search we used the adapted techniques (spontaneous sedimentation, Faust and Rugai). For microbiological analysis was fecal coliform count using the methodology of most probable number of microorganisms/g of vegetable. In parasitological analysis 10 lettuce samples and 08 coriander samples had one or more structures such as parasitic protozoan cysts, larvae and/or helminth eggs, mites and insects. The positivity of lettuce and coriander was given more in samples submitted to the use of sodium hypochlorite as a sanitizing solution. The microbiological results showed 13 samples inappropriate for human consumption. It can be concluded that there is need to adapt the environments surveyed to promote and carry out quality control measures in natural consumer product that making them safer.