Perfil microbiológico de diferentes tipos de saladas provenientes de cozinhas hospitalares

ABSTRACT: The objective of this work was to verify the microbiological profile of different types of salads from hospital kitchens. During the period from 2010 to 2014, the Public Food Guidance Service (SOAP) received 641 samples of salads from two public hospitals in the Central West region of the Sao Paulo state, where they were submitted to microbiological analysis in order to determine the most probable number (MPN) of coliforms at 35 and 45oC, carry out Salmonella spp. study and coagulase-positive staphylococci count. The results showed that in 30.56% of samples the coliform count at 35oC was above 1,100 MPN/g and 12.17% of samples presented coliforms at 45oC above 100 MPN/g, which is the maximum limit established by Brazilian law. The prevalence of contaminated samples among those without heat treatment was at 97.44%, and for samples with heat treatment the prevalence was at 2.56% for both cooked and braised foods. All samples were negative for Salmonella spp. presence and showed coagulase-positive staphylococci count at < 1.0 × 10