Lactaries are hospital facilities where feeding bottles and their substitutes are prepared and distributed for newborn intant and other pediatric patients. The preparation of such kind of food must be very carefully followed since it is destined to patients who are very susceptible to foodborne diseases. The present work aimed at investigating the microbiological quality and procedures for the preparation of feeding bottles in the lactary of the General Clinics Hospital of Porto Alegre, RS to implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system. During a six month period, 75 samples of feeding bottle formulations and 18 samples of raw materials were analyzed for the quantity of total mesophiles total and fecal coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus spp., Clostridium perfringens, molds and yeasts, and the presence of Salmonella sp. The temperature and the time for each step of the preparations were also evaluated. The microbiological analysis showed that 77,3% of the samples were not in satisfactory microbiological conditions compared to parameters established by Experimental Dietary Division of General Clinics Hospital of University of São Paulo. However, pathogens were not found in any of the analyzed samples. The evaluation of time and temperatures indicated the necessity of improvements of cooling, cold conservation and reheating. Such steps as well as the reception of raw material and water and milk boiling and cooking were also considered critical control points. Based on such results, good manufacturing practices improvements were established and complete implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system was performed.
hospital units; food fortified; chemical analysis; microbiological analysis
