EVALUATION OF JACARETINGA AND JACARÉ-AÇU HARVESTING BY THE RESEX LAGO DO CUNIÃ COOPERATIVE

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.18136126200113

• Palavras-chave: Fungi, handling, psychrotrophs.

• Keywords: Fungi, handling, psychrotrophs.

• Abstract:

  Alligator meat is of excellent nutritional quality, has a very appealing taste, and is becoming increasingly common on Brazilian dinner tables. When a food product is processed for consumption, quality and safety requirements are essential. Thus, the objective was to analyze psychrotrophs, molds, and yeasts in cuts from two alligator species, the black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) and the South American caiman (Caiman crocodilus), harvested in the Lago do Cuinã Environmental Reserve, Porto Velho, Rondônia. Two surface plating methods were used for the analyses: PCA agar (psychrotrophs) and acidified potato agar (molds and yeasts). The values for psychrotrophs varied among the cuts and among the two alligator species analyzed, ranging from a minimum of <1.0 log CFU/g (   ) to a maximum of 3.0 log CFU/g, while for fungi and yeasts, the values ranged from
  <1.0 CFU/g and 2.21 log CFU/g. Thus, the microorganisms analyzed across the two species and the different cuts were found to be within the standards adopted by legislation, thereby indicating the use of Good Practices at the Resex meat processing plant.