SANITARY QUALITY OF BOVINE MEAT SOFT SALTED (CARNE-DE-SOL) COMMERCIALIZED IN BUTCHERS AND SUPERMARKETS IN JOÃO PESSOA – PB (BRAZIL)

Abstract

Bovine meat soft salted, known as “carne-de-sol”, a typical northeastern Brazilian product, had its physicochemical (chloride and water activity) and microbiological (aerobic count plate, Staphylococcus aureus and coliforms) characteristics analysed in order to evaluate the sanitary conditions. The analyses revealed that the salt content varied from 3.73 to 9.79% whereas the water activity ranged within 0.898 and 0.959. Such conditions allow the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and consequent bacteria spoilage. The microbiological analyses showed that the presence of mesophilic bacteria in all samples was reaching values above 5 logarithmic cycles. The presence of Staphylococcus aureus was observed in 50% of the samples, being noted values higher than 10⁵ CFU/cm²; the most probable number for fecal coliforms reached levels above 10³ MPN/cm² in 60% of the meat sampled. It may be inferred that this meat product marketed in the city of João Pessoa, Brazil, has been either produced with raw meat of inadequate sanitary conditions or contaminated during the process of production, transportation, storage and commercialization.