Evaluation of Microbiological and physicochemical quality and labeling of pickled vegetable products produced by agroindustries
Name: PRISCILA ENDLICH LOZER
Publication date: 11/07/2023
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| JACKLINE FREITAS BRILHANTE DE SAO JOSE | Advisor |
Summary: The production of preserves by agroindustries of preserves by agroindustries is an alternative to avoid waste and increase the shelf life of post-harvest vegetables. These products must be manufactured and labeled in accordance with health legislation, so as not to pose risks to the health of the population. The objective was to evaluate the microbiological and physicochemical quality and to investigate the compliance of labels associated with pickled vegetable products produced by rural family agroindustries in serrana region, Espírito Santo State, Brazil. A descriptive, observational, and cross-
sectional study was carried out from secondary data, on pickled vegetable products collected in the period between June and September 2022, by the State Food Monitoring Program, Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Data were extracted from microbiological analyses (Salmonella sp., Enterobacteriaceae and Molds and Yeasts), physicochemical (pH, titratable acidity, and chlorides in sodium chloride), and labeling of analysis reports and information on the terms of sample collection and label pictures. The data from the microbiological and physicalchemical analyses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the results were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies or mean ± standard deviation. The labeling data were organized in a legislation-based checklist comprising 108 items divided into 8 blocks and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis by Ward and K-means methods. 58 samples of pickled vegetables from 37 rural family agroindustries were analyzed. All samples were within microbiological standards for Salmonella sp. and Enterobacteriaceae, but 13.8% (n=8) presented results in disagreement with the legislation for molds and yeasts. In 12.1% (n=7) of the samples, the pH was above the limit allowed by law. All product labels showed at least one non-compliance, contrary to health legislation. The mean percentage of adequacy was 57.1%. The main irregularities were related to nutritional labeling, gluten, optional labeling and presentation and distribution of mandatory information. In the multivariate analysis, the cluster composed of pickled pepper and vegetable pickles showed greater similarity in non-compliance, mainly related to the presentation and distribution of mandatory information.
