Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the microbiological quality of spices traded in Pouso Alegre-MG; analyze the frequency of contamination of spices by counting total bacteria, coliforms, yeasts and molds, whereas the intake of any of the listed pathogens can cause diseases in immunocompromised individuals with low and advanced age. Methods: We collected in original packaging spices cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf powder, basil and oregano. 11g aliquots of each sample were aseptically heavy spices in plastic sterile and homogenized with 99 mL of sterile 0.1% peptone water. For the analysis of total bacteria count technique was used sedimentation surface (spread plate) in the middle of PCA. For total coliforms and fecal coliforms method was used multiple tube (MPN). For total count of yeasts and molds we used the technique of sedimentation surface (spread plate) in medium with Chloramphenicol PCA. Results: All samples of spices grew to total bacterial counts. Samples of cinnamon powder showed no growth for fecal coliform count and yeast. But other spices showed the presence of E. coli, yeasts and molds. Conclusion: Samples collected in Marketplace showed the lowest results of microbial growth relative to other collection points analyzed. The industrialized, spices from the supermarket showed microbial growth, despite the strict quality control. In our study we found the presence of pathogens in spices studied, they can be swallowed by children, elderly and immunocompromised patients mainly cause diseases, aggravate the patient's condition leading to the death.