The estimated world production of marine fish is around 100 million ton/year, 70 that are used for human nutrition. The composition, water activity, electrolytic potential and the hygiene conditions in transport and storage, make fish susceptible to microorganism's proliferation, getting the top in the ranking of food associated with foodborne diseases. This study analyzed both microscopic and microbiologically a 100cm² of the internal surface of plastic boxes used in the transport and commerce of fish in open markets (n=14) and at the Municipal Markets (n=2) in São Paulo city. The average temperature of the fishes was 19.1ºC (± 2.6) in open markets and 10ºC at Municipal Market. 100% of the boxes showed one or more microorganisms, and 50% containing Coliforms. Microscopy observation showed many fissures. It could be concluded that the material used in the manufacture of the boxes favors the adhesion of microorganism colonies and is therefore not adequate for that purpose. Due to the variety of the detected microorganisms, the contribution of the manipulator to the contamination became clear. Finally, it would be desirable to create a set of specifications for the material used to store fresh fishes, and also to provide training for the manipulators.
fish; food diseases; pathogenic bacterial; polyurethane; plastic box
