Ocorrência de não conformidades físico-químicas e microbiológicas em leite e derivados no estado de Minas Gerais, no período de 2011 a 2015 / Occurrence of physico-chemical and microbiological nonconformities in milk and dairy products in the State of Minas Gerais, from 2011 to 2015

Milk and dairy products are potential sources for spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, and although a huge amount of data is collected by the official inspection services, only a few reports are available to the public. This study aimed to evaluate the data for physicochemical and microbiological quality of pasteurized milk and dairy products, collected for inspection at industrial establishments registered at the Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA), which is an official inspection service in Minas Gerasi State, Brazil. A total of 192 analyzes were done in 2011, 1008 in 2012, 1368 in 2013, 1271 in 2014, 1582 in 2015, adding up to 5421 samples analyzed by standard analytical techniques in official government laboratories. The statistical analysis was descriptive. A total of 2010 analytical results were nonconform to the legal requirements. Among the results, 78 (4.3%) samples of mozzarella cheese were positive for alkaline phosphatase, and freezing point results for pasteurized milk were outside the legal requirements in 86 (10%) samples. Staphylococcus coagulase positive was above limits in 80 (4.4%) samples of mozzarella cheese. These results indicate a risk to the consumer's health even in pasteurized products, and the need for effective enforcement of good manufacturing practices in the food industries.(AU)

Adulterants interference on Fourier Transform Infrared analysis of raw milk / Interferência de adulterantes na análise do leite cru por espectroscopia pela transformada de Fourier

O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar as leituras de composição do leite cru por meio de espectrofotometria FTIR, utilizando-se curva de regressão PLS, bem como as contagens de células somáticas e bacteriana total por citometria de fluxo, após adição de amido e sacarose. O leite cru foi adulterado com três concentrações de amido e sacarose (0,1%, 0,5% e 1%), colocado em frascos contendo bronopol ou azidiol, os quais foram armazenados em duas temperaturas (7±2°C e 25±2°C ). As análises foram realizadas após zero, três, 24, 48, 72 e 168 horas de armazenamento. O modelo de regressão linear múltipla foi utilizado para análise estatística. A adição de amido e sacarose resultou em mudança significativa (P<0,05) para todas as variáveis dependentes. O leite adulterado com amido resultou em aumento nas leituras de gordura, proteína, lactose, sólidos totais (ST), sólidos não gordurosos (SNG), CCS e CBT e em diminuição das leituras de caseína, do nitrogênio ureico do leite (NUL) e do ponto de congelamento. O leite adulterado com sacarose resultou no aumento das leituras da lactose, ST, SNG e NUL, enquanto as leituras de proteína, caseína, ponto de congelamento e CCS diminuíram. Este trabalho evidencia a importância do monitoramento de adulterantes reconstituintes no leite por afetarem os resultados analíticos da qualidade do leite, obtidos por métodos eletrônicos.(AU)

Acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis outbreak in the city of Fortaleza, northeast Brazil.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Between February and May 2003 an epidemic of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis affected more than 200 000 people in all five geographic regions of Brazil (north, south, midwestern, southeast, and northeast). The aim was to identify the aetiological agent and to describe clinical aspects of this outbreak in a group of patients treated at the ophthalmology department of the Hospital Walter Cantídio (OD-HWC) at the Universidade Federal do Ceará, in the city of Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará, northeastern Brazil. METHODS: Conjunctival swabs were collected from patients who spontaneously went to the laboratory of virology. Specimens were inoculated in HEp-2 and RD cell lines. The viral isolation was confirmed by performing reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and indirect immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: Viral conjunctivitis was diagnosed in 56 patients but only 24 of them allowed the collection of samples. Of 24 conjunctival swabs tested, 11 were positive for a variant of coxsackie virus A24 (CA24v) and one of the isolates reacted with anti-adenovirus monoclonal antibodies. CONCLUSION: CA24v was confirmed as the aetiological agent of this outbreak of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis in the city of Fortaleza.