Bacteriological and physical-chemical evaluation of open canned sardines preserved in refrigeration

Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious about the food they buy, and with this comes the necessity for more information about food quality and safety. In addition, conscious consumption and, consequently, less waste generation is also becoming a concern.To verify the efficiency of the commercial sterilization process and the safety of the food for a period longer than indicated by manufacturer, during one week, bacteriological and physical-chemistry analyses were performed on samples of canned sardines in different coverage obtained in commercial establishments in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Microbiological analyses consisted of mesophilic aerobic microorganism count (MC), psychrotrophic aerobic microorganism count (PC), thermophilic aerobic microorganism count (TC), anaerobic sulphite reduction at 46 ºC count (ASR), Bacillus spp. count, histamine-forming bacteria count (HBC) and sporulated bacteria count (SC). The physical-chemical analyses included the determination of hydrogen potential (pH) and the detection of histamine by spectrofluorimetry. There were no samples with values above 100 mg/kg of histamine and association with the HBC. No counts above 105 were observed in any analysis on all days. The presence of Bacillus spp. and spores were within the limits established by legislation,thus the food remained safe until the seventh day of storage.