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MICROBIAL ENUMERATION IN READY‐TO‐EAT FOODS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE
Author(s) -
SOUSA G.B.,
TAMAGNINI L.M.,
OLMOS P.,
GONZÁLEZ R.D.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of food safety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1745-4565
pISSN - 0149-6085
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-4565.2002.tb00328.x
Subject(s) - food science , good manufacturing practice , enumeration , plate count , food service , quality (philosophy) , convenience food , yeast , mathematics , toxicology , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , business , marketing , bacteria , philosophy , genetics , epistemology , combinatorics , regulatory affairs
As a contribution to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) programs, we have analyzed products produced and offered by ready‐to‐eat food stores. Two hundred and seventy four samples of a wide variety of foods from 19 different shops were analyzed. Aerobic counts, total coliforms and yeast and molds were enumerated in each sample. Food stores were evaluated using a GMP check‐list. They were grouped in three classes: Class III, nonsatisfactory GMP; Class II, partially satisfactory GMP; and Class I, satisfactory GMP. From the results of microorganism counts in the Class I food shops the following maximum counts are proposed for cooked ready‐to‐eat foods: aerobic colony count: 10 5 cfu g −1 . It is coincident with satisfactory microbiological quality of many category 3 foods drawn up by Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS).