Microbiological quality fish and seafood sold at Botucatu, SP

• Grant number: 13/04143-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Vera Lúcia Mores Rall
• Grantee: Luhan Eduardo Caramello
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The fish and their derivatives are of great importance in the diet worldwide. It is known that fish and seafood strengthen the immune system, helping to reduce cholesterol levels, decrease the chances of depression, help in the formation of muscles, and protect against cardiovascular disease. Also, are rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E, and omega 3's. Often, these products are consumed raw or with little preparation, and with this, it is necessary hygienic and sanitary measures both in the act of wrapping the food in preparation for commercialization as once may have contamination of disease-causing microorganisms. The pathogens can reach the food by various routes, always reflecting poor hygiene during production, storage, distribution, and handling at the household level. Thus, a much-discussed topic is food security is central to the development of systems that promote consumer health, in addition to meeting the legal requirements to ensure the quality of the food. The microbiological analysis of food to check for the presence of microorganisms is crucial to know the hygiene conditions in which these foods were prepared. Therefore, based on the literature review, this study aims to verify that fish and seafood sold fresh or frozen in supermarkets and fishmongers in Botucatu are within the standards established by the Brazilian legislation through the RDC 12. Thus, the search will be conducted for the presence of Salmonella, E. coli, and enumeration of coagulase-positive staphylococci (ECP), besides performing extraction and purification of DNA and PCR in order to identify genes encoding the coagulases in 80 samples. (AU)