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- Non meat-based alheiras - a safer novel trend?Publication . Azevedo, Inês; Barbosa, Joana; Albano, Helena; Teixeira, PaulaIn response to nutritional and health concerns, the food industry has begun to offer a wider variety of products that reflect changing consumer preferences. In addition to traditional alheiras, made with pork and/or poultry meats, other varieties of alheiras (“innovative”) made from codfish, mushrooms, tofu, soy and vegetables were launched on the Portuguese market. The objective of this study was the characterisation of these products, giving particular attention to their microbiological and chemical safety. Therefore, fourteen different products were analysed. Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and moulds, were the prevalent microbiota of “innovative” alheiras. Sulphite reducing Clostridium spores, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp. or Staphylococcus aureus were not detected in any sample. No differences were observed between traditional and “innovative” alheiras concerning pH and water activity values while nitrites, nitrates and biogenic amines were found to be within accepted limits for these kinds of products. In terms of organic acids, lactic acid was found in all analysed samples while malic and succinic acid seemed to be predominant only in “innovative” alheiras. In conclusion, unlike traditional alheiras which often contain pathogenic agents, no harmful organisms nor chemical hazards were found in these new products, even though produced by the same companies.
- Food safety in the domestic environmentPublication . Azevedo, Inês; Albano, Helena; Silva, Joana; Teixeira, PaulaThe main purpose of this work was to evaluate the significance of food safety in domestic environments. In this study, several points in 15 houses (handles of doors, refrigerators and dishwashers, cooking stove knobs, surfaces of preparation of foods, taps and kitchen towels, as well as from domestic animals' feet that usually have access to the kitchen area, and WC knobs and taps) were sampled and tested for detection and quantification of Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus coagulase-positive, Escherichia coli, Listeria spp. and Campylobacter spp. A questionnaire was also prepared and administered to the person responsible for domestic tasks in order to evaluate their experience of hygienic practices. The results showed a total of 125 Enterobacteriaceae spp. isolates, 86 Staphylococcus coagulase-positive isolates, 5 Listeria spp., 13 E. coli isolates and no Campylobacter spp. was found. Most of the isolates were found distributed by the entire house, with handles, knobs and domestic animals' feet being the points more contaminated. Also, there was no relation between the answers to the questionnaires administered and the microbiological results obtained. These results revealed the need to develop some education campaigns designed to educate consumers in good hygiene practices at home.