Indicadores de qualidade de alfaces (Lactuca sativa L.) produzidas em municípios do sertão paraibano: aspectos microbiológicos e parasitológicos.

Abstract

Among the most consumed vegetables, lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is considered the most popular due to several factors, especially its mild flavor, second, its easy production and adaptable to any type of soil and, consequently, its availability in the market and low cost. It is the most traded leafy vegetable in Brazil, and these, eaten raw, need to be pure and healthy. In this context, the objective was to identify microbial agents present in vegetables grown in different cities of the interior of Paraíba, by means of microbiological and parasitological analyzes and then to evaluate the most effective sanitizing agent in the hygiene process of these vegetables. Microbiological analyzes were performed according to the standardized method by the American Public Health Association (APHA, 1995) and for parasitological analysis the Lutz-based method (NEVES, 2005) was used. Fifteen samples of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were collected from rural properties of the municipality of Teixeira-PB and 15 samples of lettuce in the municipality of Patos-PB. From this total, 46.6% and 80% of the lettuces analyzed were contaminated in the municipalities of Teixeira, PB and Patos, PB, respectively. According to DRC No. 12 of 02 January 2001 of the National Agency for Sanitary Surveillance - ANVISA, raw vegetables should be free of the presence of Salmonella spp. in 25g of product, the presence of up to 10 2 NMP / g of the sample for thermotolerant coliforms being tolerated. Samples from both municipalities showed immature forms of nematodes and protozoa, showing contamination by structures of parasites of dogs such as Toxocara spp. Toxoplasma, protozoa such as Giardia lambria, Ancylostoma spp. and Ascaris. The legislation establishes as the default the "absence" of parasites and larvae. In this perspective, the hygienic process of the raw vegetables should guarantee the safety of their consumption. However, the effectiveness of acetic acid (vinegar) and sodium hypochlorite 1% (sanitary water) in the hygiene of lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L. var. Crispa) in natura, from the free fair of the city of Patos, PB. It was found that sodium hypochlorite was more effective as a method of sanitizing lettuce leaves. Acetic acid (vinegar), often used for the cleaning of lettuce, was not fully efficient, since thermotolerant coliform cells were enumerated in the analyzed samples.