Processo produtivo de refeições coletivas: uma análise qualitativa

Abstract

The alimentary toxinfections of microbial origin have been the recognised as the most extensive public health problem and it is mainly due to inadequate hygienic and temperature conditions to which the food is exposed to during the handling. Because of the necessity of offering hygienic products and guaranting the consumer’s safety, normative systems like the “Boas Práticas de Fabricação” (BPF) – Good Practises of Manufacture – were created and must be introduced, according to the current legislation, in all food producer or industry establishment. The aim of this paper was to qualitatively analyse the meal production process in the University Restaurant at UFSM, introducing the “Manual de Boas Práticas” (MBP) – Good Practises Manual – in according to the atual legislation, monitoring the chicken preparation process and establishing corrective action to eventual faults in it. For this, physical-functional, operational conditions, and human resources aspects of the “Unidade de Alimentação e Nutrição” (UAN) – Alimentation and Nutrition Unit – were analysed through the observation of the ambient and production flux, plant, stored data, and verification of the lists of the BPF. The monitoring of roast chicken preparation was carried out through visual analysis of environment and staff hygiene, physical analysis of time and temperature, and microbial analysis of counters, vessels, handling, raw and cooked chicken. The bacterial study was developed in 96 samples subdued to the following microbial analysis: Coliforms, Entrococcus coagulase positivo, Salmonella spp, and Clostridium only in roast chicken. It was observed that the physical-functional aspects and UAN operational conditions are only partially adequated to the recomendations. The manipulator presents good hygienic conditions and is periodically trained. The chicken temperature was observed to present ocillation between -0.6°C and 6.0°C. Nevertheless, in the initial period of pre-preparation, 19.28% of the samples presented temperatures higher than 6°C; 36.15% of samples presented temperarures between 4°C and 10°C. In the end of this phase, 65.06% of samples presented that temperature. The handling time in this phase was superior to 30 minutes to 94% of samples. Temperature pos-cooking varied between 82.5°C and 99.5°C. During the waiting phase, 56.4% of the preparations had temperatures inferior to 65°C and 40.7% were kept from 60 to 120 minutes in waiting. In the distribution phase, the temperature range for 70.24% of the preparations was between 35°C and 65°C. Microbial analysis of counters, vessels and handlers after the hygiene and roast chicken demonstrated no presence of the micro organisms analysed. In 9.9% of raw chicken samples, the presence of Coliforms were found in number over 15.000 NMP, classifying them as unacceptable. 6.6% of the samples presented Entrococcus coagulase positive and all the samples did not present Salmonella ssp in 25 grams. Counters and hands during the chicken handling showed contamination by Coliforms. Based on the results of this research, modifications were suggested and introduced, thus positively altering the quality of the meals productive process.