Evaluation of contamination for extraneous materials in “sun meat” sold in the “houses of the north” in the municipality of Diadema (SP, Brazil)

Abstract

The “sun meat” is a handmade product, combining surface techniques of salting and dehydration, commonly used by people from the North and Northeast regions of Brazil. The sun meat cooking process lacks in sophisticated technology and official standards of procedure and quality. Thus, production, sale and distribution under unsatisfactory sanitary conditions are risky to the consumers’ health. This paper is aimed at evaluating the sanitary conditions of “sun meat” sold at the “houses of the north” for the presence of extraneous materials. Analysis of 44 samples of “sun meat” from 22 “houses of the north” located in “Diadema District” (SP, Brazil) had been carried out. The product conditions of exposure and sale in the “houses of the north” were evaluated and provided additional information to assess the degree of food safety of this product. In 44 samples were found various types of extraneous materials such as whole insects and debris, larvae, exuvia, mites, rodent hairs, bird feather pieces, fungi, and sharp  objects. Mechanical vectors were observed at 11 locations of the sale area. The results indicated that 90.9% of the “sun meat” has unsatisfactory sanitary conditions, caused by the presence of physical hazards of contamination. These results, associated with conditions found in the “houses of the north”, indicated that these products can put the health of consumers at risk.

Keywords: Sun meat, Sanitary Conditions, Food security.