ABSTRACT:
This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of tofu sold in supermarkets in Porto Alegre/Brazil. Bacteria counts were performed forBacillus cereus , mesophilic, coliforms andStaphylococcus coagulase positive and negative. The presence ofListeria sp. was also evaluated. Two different brands of tofu (A and B) were collected, one lot per month, for six months. Five samples from each lot were analyzed. All lots presented mesophilic aerobic counts above 4.3x105CFU g-1. Four of the six lots from brand A and all lots from brand B showedE. coli and/orStaphylococcus coagulase positive counts above the Brazilian law accepted limits. TheStaphylococcus coagulase negative counts were higher than those of coagulase positive in all lots. In all lots whereStaphylococcus coagulase positive counts were above the legal limit, there were counts of coagulase negative above 104CFU g-1.B. cereus and Listeria sp. were not found in either brand. The majority of lots of brand A and all lots of brand B were unsuitable for human consumption. Our results showed that there are problems in tofu manufacturing in both industries analyzed. There is a need of improvement on its microbial quality to avoid problems of food-borne illness, and finally the need of a better control by the Brazilian inspection services.
Key words:
soy cheese; mesophile; coliforms; Staphylococcus; coagulase
