Rapid monitoring and hygiene conditions of handlers in a food industry

Rapid monitoring and hygiene conditions of handlers in a food industryAbstractMicroorganisms are present in water, air, soil, plants, animals and foods. Thus, any cool or processed foodproducts can be contaminated by various forms of microorganisms, especially when good hygiene practicesare not observed. This research evaluated the microbiota in the hands of employees after hand washing anduse of one of disinfectants: alcohol 70% and 0,5% biguanide. This assessment was base on the diagnosis ofsanitary and hygienic conditions in the establishment of standards and operating procedures of hygiene-SSOP. Were established twenty points samples for six consecutive months. Each sample was obtained directlyon the surface of the manipulators’ hands by using Petrifilm plates (cards) to Total Plate Count foraerobic mesophilic, and presence of Enterobacteriaceae. Thus, one hundred and six samples were collectedto determine the total amount of aerobic mesophilic (CFU/cm2) and 12 samples were used to assess thepresence of Enterobacteriaceae. The average aerobic mesophilic microorganisms after using alcohol 70%,and 0,5% biguanide was 5.08 and 5.87 CFU/cm2, respectively and showed a high variability in both groupswith standard deviations greater than the average coefficient of variation exceeding 100%. No differenceswere found in the average number of microorganisms after using any kind of disinfectants. We concludedthat Petrifilm is a quick way to achieve the microbiological monitoring of food handlers, but the use ofdisinfectants should be standardized. The absence of Enterobacteriaceae suggests that the disinfectants wereeffective in maintaining sanitary conditions suitable for those food handlers.