Acompanhamento da microbiota indicadora e patogênica durante a shelf life de longissimus dorsi embalado à vácuo

Abstract

Brazil is one of the largest meat producers in the world. It had an estimated production of 9.7 million tons of beef in 2022, of which 2.4 million tons were exported, whth invoicing of US$ 1.3 billion. Meat, like any product of animal origin, is a food that requires care with microbial pathogens, as animals can be natural reservoirs. Aiming at longer shelf life and preserving the quality of the meat, technologies are applied to the fresh product, such as vacuum packaging, which also contributes to the wet maturation stage. The objective of this work was to monitor the indicator and pathogenic microbiota indicator aduring the shelf life of vacuum-packed bovine Longissimus dorsi through microbiological and biomolecular analyses. Five samples of vacuum-packed beef tenderloin (Longissimus dorsi) were collected. Each of the samples was divided into four parts and each part was used to compose a part of each of the pools, totaling four pools kept at 7oC that were analyzed on days 0, 20, 40 and 60 after primary packaging. The microorganisms searched were mesophilic aerobes, psychrotrophs, Pseudomonas spp., coliforms at 30°C, enterobacteria, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, Escherichia coli shiga toxin-producing (STEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterohemorrhagic (EHEC), enteroaggregative (EAEC ), enterotoxigenic (ETEC) and enteroinvasive (EIEC), Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. Counts of indicator microorganisms increased progressively in most of the evaluated groups. All pathogenic microorganisms searched were identified. Of the microorganisms that have a standard defined in legislation, Salmonella spp. and E. coli were outside the standard defined by legislation from the 20th. Even with some standards not defined by law, other groups of indicator microorganisms, with recognized proteolytic and/or lipolytic capacity, which presented high counts, it is possible that the analyzed product presents changes in quality and safety for consumption that can shorten the shelf life, at the same time that it can be a vehicle for pathogens directly and indirectly related to contamination that predisposes foodborne illnesses. For to increase the shelf life of the vacuum-packed sirloin beef and compliance the standards of quality and microbiological safety, it is necessary for the establishment to carry out revisions and adjustments in the execution and monitoring of self-control programs to guarantee the quality of the products.