Microbiological evaluation of sugarcane juice sold at street stands and juice handling conditions in São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil Avaliação microbiológica de caldo de cana comercializado em ruas e condições de manuseio de manipuladores em São Carlos, São Paulo, Brasil

Fresh sugarcane juice is sold by street vendors without any heat treatment in São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. Twenty-four samples of point-ofsale juice were tested by standard methods to determine heterotrophic bacteria, total and thermo-tolerant coliform counts, Salmonella, and parasites in the juice. 25% of samples showed poor sanitary conditions, with thermotolerant coliform levels higher than allowed by Brazilian standards. Salmonella spp. and parasites were absent in all samples. Thermo-tolerant coliforms were detected on the hands of 37% of juice handlers, and heterotrophic bacterial counts reached 2.0 x 103 cfu/per hand. Escherichia coli was detected in one hand sample, and no Salmonella spp. was detected. Screening questionnaires were used to interview the vendors, and 62% of interviewees were either unfamiliar with or failed to adopt adequate hygiene for food handling. Food Handling; Food Contamination; Enterobacteriaceae; Sugarcane Introduction Epidemiological data indicate that cross-contamination during food preparation contributes notably to the occurrence of food-borne diseases 1. To ensure that food is microbiologically safe, both food handlers 2 and the food itself must be monitored on a permanent basis 3. Commercial production of sugarcane juice consists of a small number of operations, but this critical process can lead to the introduction of microorganisms or the proliferation of those already present. Possible sources of microbial contamination have been identified as (i) unhygienic handling; (ii) the raw material itself; (iii) inadequate cleaning of the sugarcane press, knives, contact surfaces, clothes, and vendors’ hands; and (iv) airborne contamination. This paper used standard microbiological and parasitological methods to evaluate the quality of sugarcane juice, the microbiota on vendors’ hands, the handlers’ hygiene habits, and conditions under which the beverage was sold in São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. Material and methods