A total of 96 samples of sun meat were analyzed, 48 of them were collected in inspected establishments and the other 48 in establishments without inspection. This work was developed in order to evaluate the hygienic-sanitary conditions of these products during their processing and marketing. The incidence of mesophilic bacterias, molds, yeasts, Staphylococcus aureus, fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli was investigated. Also, some physical-chemical parameters as water activity and sodium chloride were analyzed. In both groups the results obtained in microbial analysis were quite high. In the samples of the inspected establishments the averages of mesophylic counts bacterias, molds and yeasts, Staphylococcus spp and fecal coliforms were 6,2Log UFC/g, 3,8Log UFC/g, 7,4Log UFC/g and 1,34Log NMP/g respectively and, in the samples without inspection, the averages were 7,41Log UFC/g, 4,44Log UFC/g, 6,78Log UFC/g and 2,6Log NMP/g, respectively. The microbial results suggest errors in the processing and manipulation of both samples, and the fecal contamination was much higher in the samples collected in establishments without inspection. The variation of the sodium chloride content and water activity of the sample indicated lack of standardization during sun dried meat processing. There is the need tho establish microbiological and physical-chemical legal parameters capable of offering safe food to the consumer.
meat; microbiology; water activity; shelf life
