THE IMPORTANCE OF MICROSCOPY IN THE FOOD QUALITY CONTROL PERFORMED AT THE ADOLFO LUTZ INSTITUTE

NU05

Prado, SPT (1)

Chiarini, PFT (3)

Martini, MH (3)

¹Adolfo Lutz Institute - Regional Laboratory, Ribeirao Preto, SP ²Adolfo Lutz Institute - Regional Laboratory, Santo Andre, SP ³Adolfo Lutz Institute - Regional laboratory, Campinas, SP

The Adolfo Lutz Institute (ALI), the Public Health Laboratory of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, is subordinated to the State Health Secretariat through the Coordination of Disease Control. Its section of Food Microscopy at the Bromatology and Chemistry Sector is involved in food hygienic-sanitary control aiming to determine contamination levels of foreign materials and impurities, whether prejudicial or not to the population at large. It also establishes the food identity and quality by characterizing authentic histological (composition) or foreign (fraud) elements. This study aimed to evaluate through microscopy standards the sanitary profile of food analyzed at the Regional Laboratories of Ribeirao Preto, Santo Andre and Campinas of ALI in the State of Sao Paulo in the period of January, 2006 to December, 2007. The 504 different food samples evaluated, originating from control or orientation analysis, were collected by the Municipal Sanitary Vigilance or requested to the Adolfo Lutz Institute by private parties. Microscopic analysis were performed according to the procedures described in the publication of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 2000) for the investigation of foreign materials  (dirt) and the food composition or fraud verified by identification of histological elements (Rodrigues et al., 1999). In all cases samples were evaluated according to current legislation. Among the food samples examined, 37% showed discordant microscopic analysis, 3.2% having misidentified histological elements due to fraud. Coffee samples (7.7%) had impurities like seed hulls and plant twigs and the other 24 % rejected showed other foreign materials, macroscopic and/or microscopic. Of the total specimens included in the study, 1.6% contained rodent fur and droppings, cockroach droppings, flies and metal particles considered prejudicial to human health and were, thus, in disaccord to the ANVISA/MS Resolution RDC n^o 175/2003. Considering SVS/MS Regulation n^o 326/1997, 22.4% of samples contained impurities indicating lack or inadequate maintenance of Good Manufacturing Practices. By verifying how elements, like insect fragments, hair strands, amorphous material, filamentous and yeast –like fungus, larvae, and insect webs, ended up mixed in food could be a good indicator of the sanitary conditions in food production and handling.  Although these impurities may not be considered potentially prejudicial to the consumer, the data obtained through microscopical analysis furnishes subsidies to the analysis of critical points in the productive food chain, indicates where are implanted and maintained Good Manufacturing Practices as well as allows more effective control by the Sanitary Vigilance bodies, this being an important tool in the offering of safe food to the consumer. Last but not least it guarantees health promotion and protection for the whole population.