Verônica Cortez Ginani

Detection of intestinal parasites on field-grown strawberries in the Federal District of Brazil

INTRODUCTION This study evaluated the presence of pathogenic human parasites on field-grown strawberries in the Federal District of Brazil. METHODS A total of 48 samples of strawberries and 48 soil samples from 16 properties were analyzed. RESULTS Contaminated strawberries were detected in 56% of the properties. Schistosoma mansoni, Ascaris lumbricoides or Ascaris suum, Balantidium coli, Endolimax nana, and Entamoeba spp. were detected. Soil was contaminated with Entamoeba spp., Entamoeba coli, Strongyloides spp., Ancylostomatidae, and Hymenolepis nana. CONCLUSIONS Producers should be instructed on the safe handling of strawberries in order to reduce the incidence of strawberries that are contaminated with enteroparasites.

Reducing fat content of Brazilian traditional preparations does not alter food acceptance: development of a model for fat reduction that conciliates health and culture.

Typical treatment for obesity and/or other chronic degenerative diseases should always include a dietetic approach. Diet success depends on several individual aspects, such as patients personal motivation and attitudes; unfortunately, dietary planning does not always take into account the patients cultural habits, which minimizes the impact of the nutritional intervention. The objective of the present study was to analyze and reduce the fat content of 10 representative recipes from Brazilian regional gastronomy, maintaining their acceptability and developing a standard protocol that could be used for improving nutritional content of any type of fat-rich traditional preparation. The recipes selected were tapioca flan (pudim de tapioca) and banana pie (torta de banana) from the northern region; hominy porridge (mungunzá) and corn cake (bolo de milho verde) from the northeast region; goianian pie (empadão goiano) and cassava cake (mané pelado) from the central west region; tropeiro beans (feijão tropeiro) and spiced chicken with rice (galinhada) from the southeast region; and carreteiro rice (arroz carreteiro) and ground corn with pork ribs (quirera lapiana) from the southern region. The preparations were submitted to a chemical composition analysis for humidity, protein, ashes, and total lipid content according to official methods of the Association of Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 1998) in duplicate. After the average nutrient content was determined, sensorial analysis was performed in order to investigate the acceptance rate of each preparation. The results were analyzed according to the hedonic scale of 7 points considering good acceptance those rates higher than 70%. Additionally, for statistical analysis the test F was applied, determining whether the samples were accepted significantly different to a level of 95% confidence. Some recipes had main ingredients with characteristically high lipid content, thus, in order to keep the regional characteristics of the preparation, those ingredients were not changed. Also, according to sensorial analysis, although there were some differences between the standard and modified samples, the recipes obtained similar acceptance rates (p > 0.05), except for carreteiro rice and banana pie recipes. In the case of the carreteiro rice, the acceptance of the modified recipe was greater than the standard and for the banana pie the inverse occurred, although the final acceptance of the modified recipe was greater than 70%. The results show that it is possible to conciliate healthy food and alimentary culture, once the adequate preparation technique is used, in particular those concerning the nutritional composition of the main ingredients (respecting the recipe characterization) and healthier methods of cooking. Moreover, those techniques can be applied for any regional/typical recipes in order to facilitate the patients adherence to the prescribed diet plans or even for major actions concerning public health matters.

Content Validation and Semantic Evaluation of a Check-List Elaborated for the Prevention of Gluten Cross-Contamination in Food Services

Conditions associated to the consumption of gluten have emerged as a major health care concern and the treatment consists on a lifelong gluten-free diet. Providing safe food for these individuals includes adapting to safety procedures within the food chain and preventing gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food. However, a gluten cross-contamination prevention protocol or check-list has not yet been validated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to perform the content validation and semantic evaluation of a check-list elaborated for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination in food services. The preliminary version of the check-list was elaborated based on the Brazilian resolution for food safety Collegiate Board Resolution 216 (RDC 216) and Collegiate Board Resolution 275 (RDC 275), the standard 22000 from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 22000) and the Canadian Celiac Association Gluten-Free Certification Program documents. Seven experts with experience in the area participated in the check-list validation and semantic evaluation. The criteria used for the approval of the items, as to their importance for the prevention of gluten cross-contamination and clarity of the wording, was the achievement of a minimal of 80% of agreement between the experts (W-values ≥ 0.8). Moreover, items should have a mean ≥4 in the evaluation of importance (Likert scale from 1 to 5) and clarity (Likert scale from 0 to 5) in order to be maintained in the instrument. The final version of the check-list was composed of 84 items, divided into 12 sections. After being redesigned and re-evaluated, the items were considered important and comprehensive by the experts (both with W-values ≥ 0.89). The check-list developed was validated with respect to content and approved in the semantic evaluation.

Enrichment of Probiotic Fermented Milk with Green Banana Pulp: Characterization Microbiological, Physicochemical and Sensory

The aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the growth kinetic of L. paracasei LBC 81 in fermented milks enriched with green banana pulp (GBP); (ii) to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of GBP on the chemical composition and the sensory acceptance; and (iii) to study the viability of the probiotic and technological properties during refrigerated storage. The amount of GBP used were 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 g/100 g. The results show that the higher the concentration of GBP added, the shorter the time taken to reach pH 4.6. It was observed that the incorporation of GBP did not affect negatively the viability of L. paracasei LBC 81 during storage. The fermented milk elaborated with 6.0 g/100 g of GBP was the most accepted. The present study indicates that the enrichment of fermented milk with GBP favors the stability of the probiotic strain, L. paracasei LBC 81 during storage.

What is Offered by Public Foodservices for Low Income Population in Brazil is Adequate to Health Promotion Regarding Energy Density

ABSTRACT We evaluated the energy density (ED) of the preparations offered at community restaurants (CRs). 723 preparations offered 37 CRs were analyzed. Technical Preparation File (TPF) was compiled and the nutritional composition was calculated. The components of the menus were classified according to: very low ED (33.1%), low ED (41.2%), medium ED (23.5%) and high ED (2.2%). Many of these dishes were classified as low ED (rice - 56.4% and beans - 97.2%) and so its use probably doesn’t contribute to the overweight framework of the CR consumers. The main course (meat preparations) showed the largest EDs, most of them being classified as medium ED (1.85 to 2.43Kcal/g). The appetizers, as expected, showed the lowest EDs (0.01 to 0.4). The EDs of the menus offered in Brazilian CRs are appropriate to the objective of this type of restaurant, characterized by fulfilling a singular social role in serving its clients.

Gluten-Free Diet: From Development to Assessment of a Check-List Designed for the Prevention of Gluten Cross-Contamination in Food Services

Gluten cross-contamination in gluten-free food may jeopardize treatment of celiac patients. Considering the deficit of appropriate instruments to enable the implementation of safe production practices for gluten-free food, this study aimed to evaluate the application of a check-list elaborated for gluten cross-contamination prevention in food services. The instrument was applied in 60 Brazilian food services. Interobserver reproducibility and internal consistency of the check-list were tested. A score classification was created for establishments according to the food contamination risk assessment. Subsequent to the application and statistical analysis, the original instrument was reduced to a 30-item check-list. In the reproducibility analysis, none of the 30 items showed significant divergence among the evaluators (p > 0.05 in the Cochran Q test). The 30-item version of the check-list presented Kuder–Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20) = 0.771, indicating good internal consistency. The proposed classification score is obtained by adding 1 point for each item with an “adequate” response; therefore, the final score may vary between 0 and 30 points. Establishments with up to 15 points exhibit risk of gluten contamination, while establishments with a score above 16 points exhibit low risk of contamination. The check-list displayed good reproducibility and internal consistency, suggesting that it could be a useful gluten contamination control instrument in food services.

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Gel as Egg Replacer in Chocolate Cakes: Applicability and Microbial and Sensory Qualities After Storage

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of chia gel after different conditions of storage as an egg replacer in chocolate cake. Chia gel was made in a proportion of 1:10, cooked (100⁰C), for 6 minutes, then crushed. After preparation, the gel was stored in sealed sterile bags in portions of 30 g under fridge temperature for 15 days and under freezing temperature for 30 days. Eggless cakes were prepared by replacing egg for chia gel stored in different conditions. The sensory evaluation was carried out with 112 untrained individuals. Microbiological stability of the gel for 15 days during refrigeration and 30 days of freezing demonstrated that it is a potential product. Sensory analysis showed that chia gel stored in different conditions could replace egg in chocolate cake not impairing acceptability. It is possible that cold storage improves chia gel functionality, especially when it is stored frozen.

Avaliação da Eficácia de Procedimento Adotado Para Higienização de Hortaliças Utilizadas em Saladas Cruas Servidas em Um Restaurante Universitário

Veronica Cortez Ginani, Eleuza Rodrigues Machado, Naara Caroline Oliveira de Souza, Roberta Figueiredo Resende Riquette. Avaliacao da Eficacia de Procedimento Adotado Para Higienizacao de Hortalicas Utilizadas em Saladas Cruas Servidas em Um Restaurante Universitario. In: Anais do 12o Congresso Latinoamericano de Microbiologia e Higiene de Alimentos MICROAL 2014 [= Blucher Food Science Proceedings, num.1, vol.1]. Sao Paulo: Editora Blucher, 2014. DOI 10.5151/foodsci-microal-208 Avaliacao da Eficacia de Procedimento Adotado Para Higienizacao de Hortalicas Utilizadas em Saladas Cruas Servidas em Um Restaurante Universitario