Jackline Freitas Brilhante de São José

Removal of Salmonella enterica Enteritidis and Escherichia coli from green peppers and melons by ultrasound and organic acids.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound treatment combined with organic acids in the decontamination step for green peppers and melons. The influence of the surface roughness of the peppers and melons on bacterial adhesion was evaluated, as measured using a profilometer. The adhesion of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis and Escherichia coli to the green pepper and melon surfaces was also evaluated by measuring the hydrophobicity of the microorganisms and the surfaces. The bacteria that adhered to the surface of green peppers and melons was quantified by plate count and visualized by scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the efficiency of ultrasound and organic acids to remove bacteria from the pepper and melon surfaces was examined. The average roughness (Ra) of the green peppers (13.0±2.7 nm) was significantly different (p>0.05) from the melons (33.5±7.9 nm). Adherence of S. Enteritidis and E. coli are thermodynamically unfavorable for both surfaces studied (∆G(adhesion)>0). Despite these data, good adhesion occurred on both surfaces. The number of bacteria on green pepper slices was 7.3 and 7.0 log CFU/cm(2) for E. coli and S. enterica Enteritidis, respectively. For melon surfaces, the number of bacteria was 7.0 and 6.9 log CFU/cm(2) for E. coli and S. Enteritidis, respectively. The greater adherence of both bacteria on the green peppers can be explained by its hydrophobic surface; the hydrophilic surfaces of melons resulted in lower adherence. These results suggest that the adhesion observed in this experiment is a multifactorial process. Among the treatments evaluated for green peppers, a higher removal of pathogens was observed after use of a combination of ultrasound and 1% lactic acid; this treatment reduced E. coli and Salmonella by 2.9 and 2.8 log CFU/cm(2), respectively. For melons, the combination of ultrasound and lactic acid showed a reduction of 2.5 and 3.1 log CFU/cm(2) for E. coli and S. Enteritidis, respectively. These results indicate that it is possible to replace the chlorinated compounds that are commonly used to sanitize fruits and vegetables. These results confirm that ultrasound, an emerging technology for food processing applications, could enhance the microbial safety of fresh produce.

Ultrasound improves chemical reduction of natural contaminant microbiota and Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica on strawberries.

New sanitization methods have been evaluated to improve food safety and food quality and to replace chlorine compounds. However, these new methods can lead to physicochemical and sensory changes in fruits and vegetables. The present study evaluated the effects of acetic acid, peracetic acid, and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate isolated or combined with 5min of ultrasound treatment (40kHz, 500W) on strawberry quality over 9days of storage at 8°C. The strawberry natural contaminant microbiota (molds and yeasts, mesophilic aerobic and lactic acid bacteria), physicochemical quality (pH, total titratable acidity, total soluble solids, vitamin C, and color), sensory quality (triangle test) and inactivation of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica intentionally inoculated onto strawberries were analyzed. Ultrasound increased the effect of all chemical compounds in the reduction of aerobic mesophilic, molds and yeasts. The best treatment for those groups of microorganisms was ultrasound combined with peracetic acid (US+PA) that reduced 1.8 and 2.0logcfu/g during 9days of storage. Bactericidal effect of peracetic acid was also improved by ultrasound inactivation of S. enterica, reaching a decimal reduction of 2.1logcfu/g. Moreover, synergistic effects were observed in contaminant natural microbiota inactivation for all tested compounds during storage, without any major physicochemical or sensory alteration to the strawberries. Therefore, ultrasound treatment can improve the effect of sanitizers that are substitutes of chlorine compounds without altering the quality of strawberries during storage. Acetic acid (PubChem CID: 176); Peracetic acid (PubChem CID: 6585); Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (PubChem CID: 18372154).

Uso de ultrassom associado ou não ao dicloisocianurato de sódio na sanitização de tomate cereja (Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme)

The washing procedure associated with the use of sanitizer solutions is the only one stage in which the reduction in the number of deteriorative and pathogenic microorganisms can be achieved. This study aimed at evaluating the application of the ultrasound associated with or without the sodium dichloroisocyanurate on the cherry tomatoes sanitization step. The ultrasound treatment combined with sodium dichloisocyanurate solution, and the procedure in which the ultrasound was applied at first and followed by the immersion in chlorinated solution, was the procedure that promoted the highest reductions in the initial aerobic mesophilic microorganisms and coliforms at 35 oC. No significant changes was found (p < 0.05) on the soluble solids, pH and titratable acidity values in all of the used treatments. The treatments with ultrasound promoted 14 % reduction in the firmness of not sanitized tomato. As a potential alternative for performing the sanitization, the ultrasound should be assessed on the additional variables as the applied time and frequency. Therefore, the processing conditions would be adjusted, and it would enhance the microorganisms inactivation without causing harm on the quality of final product.

Estratégias alternativas na higienização de frutas e hortaliças

O consumo de frutas e hortalicas tem aumentado em funcao da sociedade moderna que procura habitos de vida mais saudaveis. O consumidor atual utiliza cada vez mais alimentos mais proximos dos frescos, que apresentem conveniencia e, ao mesmo tempo, qualidade microbiologica, sensorial e nutricional. A qualidade microbiologica de frutas e hortalicas esta relacionada com a presenca de microrganismos alteradores, que podem reduzir a vida util desses produtos e a de microrganismos patogenicos que podem provocar doencas nos consumidores. A operacao de lavagem juntamente com aplicacao de desinfetantes e a etapa na qual pode ser reduzida a carga microbiana de forma a assegurar a seguranca do produto. Os compostos clorados sao amplamente utilizados na descontaminacao, contudo, ha interesse em utilizar outros, uma vez que estes geram residuos toxicos (trihalometanos) em presenca de materia orgânica em fase de decomposicao. De entre as alternativas, a literatura indica a aplicacao de outros desinfetantes quimicos como peroxido de hidrogenio, acido peroxicetico, dioxido de cloro, ozono, acidos orgânicos e descontaminantes fisicos como os ultrassons.

The effect of the addition of whey protein as a substitute for wheat in the development of cakes with no added sugar

Abstract Whey protein (WP) is a product of cheese making which has high nutritional value and functional attributes. Its use in bakery goods favours the physical aspects as well as the emulsion and stabilization capacity and improves the sensory characteristics. The aim of this study was to replace wheat by whey protein in sugar free cakes and evaluate their physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics. The effect of adding whey protein and margarine on cakes were evaluated using a second order central compound rotational design. The selected treatments were evaluated by means of a sensory analysis and characterized according to their proximate composition and a microbiological evaluation after fifteen days of storage. The addition of up to 11.98 g of margarine per 100 g had an important influence on the reduction in cake height. The treatment with an intermediate WP content (30 g/100 g) and a lower margarine content (6.72 g/100 g) showed better acceptability and a higher protein content when compared to the control cake. The microbiological conditions were satisfactory, conforming to current legislation, even after fifteen days of storage.

Alterações nutricionais e metabólicas em diabéticos: desafios ao hiperdia de uma estratégia de saúde da família

Objective: To assess the anthropometric profile, health conditions and lifestyle of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) enrolled in the HiperDia program (Programa HiperDia) of the Family Health Strategy (Estrategia de Saude da Familia – ESF) of Sinop, Mato Grosso. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in an ESF located in the center of Sinop, Mato Grosso, from June to October 2013, with patients with diabetes of both genders and age ≥ 18 years. Weight, height, pressoric levels, body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC), fasting glucose, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and lifestyle habits were assessed. Results: Participants (n=54) had a mean age of 64.2 ± 10.2 years and BMI of 29.0 ± 5.4 kg/m2, and were mostly women (n=34). Nutritional and metabolic changes were found among participants: excessive weight (77.8%), high BF% (92.0%), high WC suggesting risk for complications associated with obesity (85.5%), hypertension (87.0%) and sedentary lifestyle (66.7%). Glucose was altered in both genders (p>0.05) and 16.7% of the individuals with diabetes were undiagnosed. Of the participants, 5.6% were smokers, 29.6% consumed alcohol, the mean meal fractioning was 4.2 ± 0.9 times/day and the daily sleep hours were 7.7 ± 1.3. Conclusion: Most individuals with diabetes presented excessive weight, high BF% and WC and hyperglycemia. These results, associated with hypertension, metabolic syndrome, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol consumption, low meal fractioning and unawareness of the diagnosis may contribute to the occurrence of severe complications.