Características de queijos artesanais tipo colonial comercializados em uma feira agropecuária / Características de queijos artesanais tipo colonial comercializados em uma feira agropecuária

ABSTRACT

Background: The commercialization of hand-made cheeses at agricultural shows has been used to make the production of family-run food more popular. Colonial cheese is a product typical from Brazil, which has no specifi c legislation that sets out its identity and quality standards, as well as its labeling, nutritional and consumer information. Therefore, its quality standard must meet the provisions of general laws that defi ne the production, microbiology and labeling standards of packaged products. Since they are produced by establishments with no continuous sanitary inspection systems, any failure to meet good manufacturing practices may pose risks to the health of consumers. This study aimed at verifying whether the Colonial cheese, produced in family-run agricultural systems, offered to the public and distributed at an agricultural show in Rio Grande do Sul, meets the legal requirements concerning labeling and microbiological quality.Materials, Methods & Results: Twelve Colonial cheeses produced at different family-run establishments and offered at an agricultural show were collected from the commercialization area as is. Its labeling characteristics were assessed, based on the legislation in force that sets out mandatory labeling for packaged food. The microbiological analysis for the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. and quantifi cation of total and thermo

RESUMO

Background: The commercialization of hand-made cheeses at agricultural shows has been used to make the production of family-run food more popular. Colonial cheese is a product typical from Brazil, which has no specifi c legislation that sets out its identity and quality standards, as well as its labeling, nutritional and consumer information. Therefore, its quality standard must meet the provisions of general laws that defi ne the production, microbiology and labeling standards of packaged products. Since they are produced by establishments with no continuous sanitary inspection systems, any failure to meet good manufacturing practices may pose risks to the health of consumers. This study aimed at verifying whether the Colonial cheese, produced in family-run agricultural systems, offered to the public and distributed at an agricultural show in Rio Grande do Sul, meets the legal requirements concerning labeling and microbiological quality.Materials, Methods & Results: Twelve Colonial cheeses produced at different family-run establishments and offered at an agricultural show were collected from the commercialization area as is. Its labeling characteristics were assessed, based on the legislation in force that sets out mandatory labeling for packaged food. The microbiological analysis for the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. and quantifi cation of total and thermo