Patogenic and Indicator Microorganisms in Chicken Cuts Sold in the Recôncavo-Bahia-Brazil

Hygiene-sanitary conditions, the presence of Salmonella spp. and indicator microorganisms of chicken cuts sold on the market in the Rec?ncavo da Bahia area, are analyzed and their co-relationship with conditions of commercialization is verified. Sixty samples were collected between May and August 2016 at informal selling sites (fairs, butcher shops, abattoirs) and in supermarkets of ten municipalities of the Rec?ncavo da Bahia region. Hygiene and sanitary conditions were assessed through a check list. Total coliforms, Escherichia coli, mesophylls, psychrotrophic organisms, molds and yeast, and Salmonella spp. were counted. Results revealed statistical difference for total coliforms and Escherichia coli only, featuring greater concentration rates in fairs, butcher shops and abattoirs. Further, 31.7% of samples indicated 31.7% Salmonella spp. and 16.6% of samples failed to comply with sanitary legislation on Escherichia coli. Observational analysis demonstrated that 61.83% and 38.1% of the samples respectively on informal sites and in supermarkets did not comply with legislation and indicated a co-relationship of some variables with the growth of total coliforms, Escherichia coli and mesophylls. Pathogenic and indicator microorganisms suggest flaws in hygiene and sanitary conditions in the commercialization of chicken cuts and health risks to consumers.

A Study of the Comets with Large Perihelion Distances C/2019 L3(ATLAS)and C/2019 O3(Palomar)

This work analyzes the photometric data of the Oort spike comets C/2019 L3(ATLAS)and C/2019 O3(Palomar)obtained between 2016 and 2023 by the ATLAS network and the Belgian Olmen Observatory.The comets Palomar and ATLAS have a typical and unusually high activity level,respectively,based on the Afρparameter corrected to phase angle zero at perihelion.The absolute magnitude of comets ATLAS and Palomar in the o-band is 4.71±0.05 and 4.16±0.02 respectively.The cometary activity of comets ATLAS and Palomar probably began at r>13 au before perihelion and will end at r>14 au after perihelion,which means that they could remain active until the second half of 2026.The nucleus of comet ATLAS has a minimum radius of 7.9 km,and the nucleus of comet Palomar could be a little larger.The c-o colors of the comets ATLAS and Palomar are redder and bluer,respectively,at perihelion than the solar twin YBP 1194.These comets showed a bluish trend in the coma color with decreasing heliocentric distance.Comet Palomar probably had two outbursts after its perihelion,each releasing about 10^(8)kg of dust.The slopes of the photometric profile of the comae of these comets were between 1and 1.5,indicating a steady state during the observation campaign.

Determining the Levels of Trace Elements Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in Honey of Stingless Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Using Voltammetry

Determining the levels of heavy metals in honey is a measure to control its quality. The objective of this study was to determine the contents of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in honey of stingless bee. The differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) was used to determine the trace elements in honey samples. Pb was detected in 100% of the samples, Cu and Zn in 98.15%, and Cd only in 33.33%. The trace elements analyzed detected in the samples remained within tolerable levels in foods for human consumption.

Relation between Mass and Radius of Exoplanets Distinguished by their Density

The formation of the solar system has been studied since the 18th century and received a boost in 1995 with the discovery of the first exoplanet,51 Pegasi b.The investigations increased the number of confirmed planets to about5400 to date.The possible internal structure and composition of these planets can be inferred from the relationship between planet mass and radius,M-R.We have analyzed the M-R relation of a selected sample of iron-rock and ice-gas planets using a fractal approach to their densities.The application of fractal theory is particularly useful to define the physical meaning of the proportionality constant and the exponent in an empirical M-R power law in exoplanets,but this does not necessarily mean that they have an internal fractal structure.The M-R relations based on this sample are M=(1.46±0.08)R^(2.6±0.2)for the rocky population(3.6≤ρ≤14.3 g cm^(-3)),with 1.5≤M≤39M_(⊕),and M=(0.27±0.04)R^(2.7±0.2)for ice-gas planets(0.3≤ρ≤2.1 g cm^(-3))with 5.1≤M≤639 M_(⊕)(or■2 M_(J))and orbital periods greater than 10 days.Both M-R relations have in their density range a great predictive power for the determination of the mass of exoplanets and even for the largest icy moons of the solar system.The average fractal dimension of these planets is D=2.6±0.1,indicating that these objects likely have a similar degree of heterogeneity in their densities and a nearly similar composition in each sample.The M-R diagram shows a"gap"between ice-gas and iron-rock planets.This gap is a direct consequence of the density range of these two samples.We empirically propose an upper mass limit of about 100 M_(⊕),so that an M-R relation for ice-gas planets in a narrow density range is defined by M∝R^(3).

Antagonistic Activity, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Potential Virulence Factors of Enterococcus faecalis

Enterococcus faecalis isolates （87） were phenotypically and genotypically identified and subsequently subjected to the antagonism test and antimicrobial susceptibility. The lipolitic, hemolytic and DNAse activities were identified along with the genes gelE, cylL, cylS, ccf, cpd and cob that, encode virulence determinants. Thirty seven percent of isolates inhibited Listeria monocytogenes （CERELA）, Listeria innocuous （CERELA）, Staphylococcus aureus （ATCC25932）, Lactococcus lactis （IL1403）, Micrococcus luteus （ATCC 10240） and Enterococcusfaecalis （ATCC29212）. All strains were sensitive to the ampicillin antibiotic, but 47% were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent and 6% of isolates presented multidrug resistance. Ninety seven percent of isolates contained the gelE gene, but 77% of these isolates showed gelatinase activity. Presence of cylL and cylS genes was observed in 25% of the isolates, but only 5% presented hemolytic activity. None isolates showed lipase and DNAse activities. Eight percent of isolates contained the ccf gene and 2% showed the presence of the cpd and cob genes. The ability to inhibit pathogenic bacteria, low resistance to antibiotics and absence of virulence factors make some of Enterococcusfaecalis strains characterized in the present study promising for exploitation in other applications such as probiotics in aquaculture.

Studying Formability Limits By Combining Conventional and Incremental Sheet Forming Process

In this work it is assessed the potential of combining conventional and incremental sheet forming processes in a same sheet of metal.This so-called hybrid forming approach is performed through the manufacture of a pre-forming by conventional forming,followed by incremental sheet forming.The main objective is analyzing strain evolution.The pre-forming induced in the conventional forming stage will determine the strain paths,directly influencing the strains produced by the incremental process.To conduct the study,in the conventional processes,strains were imposed in three different ways with distinct true strains.At the incremental stage,the pyramid strategy was adopted with different wall slopes.From the experiments,the true strains and the final geometries were analyzed.Numerical simulation was also employed for the sake of comparison and correlation with the measured data.It could be observed that single-stretch pre-strain was directly proportional to the maximum incremental strains achieved,whereas samples subjected to biaxial pre-strain influenced the formability according to the degree of pre-strain applied.Pre-strain driven by the prior deep-drawing operation did not result,in this particular geometry,in increased formability.

Hygienic and Sanitary Conditions of Eggs Commercialized in Town Fairs and Markets

High nutritional content coupled with low cost and ease of purchase justifies the frequent use of chicken eggs. Even with technological innovations in the production, storage, and distribution of eggs, food poisoning continues to occur. Therefore, in the present study, we 1) evaluated the microbiological profile and the hygienic and sanitary quality of eggs commercialized in town fairs and markets and 2) verified whether there is any correlation between microbiological results and commercialization conditions. Thirty-six samples were collected from six municipalities in the region of Rec?ncavo from Bahia, Brazil. The hygienic and sanitary conditions were analyzed by quantifying the total coliforms, E. coli, mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms, molds, and yeasts, and by the presence of Salmonella sp. The observational analysis showed that 91% and 68% of the samples in town fairs and markets, respectively, did not comply with the requirements of the current Brazilian legislation. There was no significant difference in the microbiological profile among samples from the fairs and markets. Several samples presented relevant significant values, indicating inadequate hygienic conditions and fecal contamination. Salmonella sp. was found in one sample. There was co-relationship between microorganism count and the variables “external dirt”, “external stains”, and “closeness to other products”, with high concentrations of total coliforms and E. coli in the non-conforming samples. Although no limits exist for mold and yeast counts, the presence of fungi makes the product unfit for consumption. Thus, the commercialization of eggs would benefit from more attention and supervision by the relevant authorities.

Tuberculosis and Cysticercosis in Brazil: A Review

Tuberculosis and the taeniasis-cysticercosis complex, typical cases of zoonosis, have great importance for public health, since they cause economic liabilities to the Brazilian beef production chain. They are actually a synonym of technical inadequateness in Good Production Practices. Both diseases have existed since ancient times and their occurrence should be controlled by basic sanitary measures. However, there is a significant neglect attitude by authorities of countries with high occurrence rates, or rather, tropical underdeveloped nations, to focus on public policies for the control and decrease of the prevalence and the occurrence of these diseases. Current review elucidates the epidemiological profile of the diseases and contributes towards the elucidation and establishment of measures ensuring control.

Growth and Production of Hydroponic Pepper under Salt Stress and Plant Density

The viability of the use of brackish water in the hydroponic cultivation of vegetables cannot dispense with auxiliary techniques such as water mixing and the use of plant densities. In this sense, the objective of the present work was to analyze the growth and production of sweet pepper, cv. All Big, under hydroponic conditions, under different levels of electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution (1.7, 3.7, 5.7, 7.7, 9.7 and 11.7 dS&middotm-1) in plants spaced every 0.2 m and 0.3 m. These treatments were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design, analyzed in a 6 × 2 factorial scheme, with five replications. The growth variables were evaluated at 60, 75 and 90 days after sowing and the production variables at the time of harvest;however, the results were submitted to analysis of variance, at a 0.05 probability level. The interaction between the electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution and the density of plants influenced the behavior of the growth and production variables of pepper (All Big). It was verified that the pepper plants had better performance of the biometric variables plant height, stem diameter and number of leaves when cultivated every 30 cm. At the time, in the analysis by plant, the production of pepper fruits was more expressive when spacing of 30 cm was adopted, however, in the tube of six meters, when 20 cm of spacing was used, the number of fruits was on average, 26.38% and 16.40% higher than lower density, in the electrical conductivities 1.7 and 11.7 dS&middotm-1.

Petit-Suisse Cheese Production with Addition of Probiotic <i>Lactobacillus</i><i>casei</i>

Growing concern to increase life expectancy has promoted several studies in the field of nutrition, especially those on food and their effects on the human body. Assays have been performed to improve their nutritional quality. In fact, there is considerable interest in encouraging development of new ingredients, with the innovation in food products and the establishment of new market niches for these ingredients. The global market for functional foods is growing and always envisages new products with functional technological and physiological characteristics. The petitsuisse cheese is a product of high nutritional value, rich in calcium, phosphorus and fat-soluble vitamins, with a high percentage of milk proteins, coupled to excellent digestion and assimilation by the human body. Current assay describes the production of a petit-suisse cheese to which was added the probiotic Lactobacillus casei BGP 93, and determines the physical, chemical and microbiological viability of lactobacilli in cheese during storage period. Levels of protein, fat in the dry extract, moisture and pH were analyzed for physical and chemical parameters;likewise, detection of coliforms, Staphylococcus, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and yeasts and molds was performed for microbiological parameters;monitoring of the viability of Lactobacillus casei BGP 93 during its life time was conducted. The petit-suisse cheese proved to be a good vehicle for the addition of probiotic microorganism. Lactobacillus casei remained viable during shelf life even with decreasing pH, and may be considered a functional product during 30 days of storage.

Human occupation explains species invasion better than biotic stability:evaluating Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.(Moraceae;jackfruit)invasion in the Neotropics

Aims Biological invasions are recognized to put native species in risk of extinction.In this study,I tested whether the invasion of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.(Moraceae;jackfruit)in the Neotropics was explained by its biotic stability,an intrinsic force,or by human occupation,an extrinsic force.Methods I used an ensemble framework combining 12 ecological niche models(ENMs)and 4 atmosphere-ocean general circulation models.ENMs were constructed for the pre-industrial time period in the Indo-Malaya biogeographic region,the native habitat of A.heterophyllus,and were then projected to past(last glacial maximum,21000 years ago and mid-Holocene,6000 years ago)and future(end of century,2080)peri-ods.The ENMs were used to establish the biotic stability of A.hetero-phyllus in areas where it was predicted to be present concomitantly within these four time periods.This biotic stability was projected onto the Neotropics,and then I used a null model and logistic regression to test what the main driver of A.heterophyllus invasion.Important Findings In general,the presence of A.heterophyllus in the Neotropics was not explained by biotic stability,tested by the null model.However,human occupation explained much of its presence in the invaded habitat,once all standardized coefficients related to this driver was significant positive in the logistic regression.Based on these results,humans sustained the presence of A.het-erophyllus in the Neotropics,probably because of the additive influences of propagule pressure and habitat disturbance.Thus,the recommendation is that the cultivation of A.heterophyllus in the Neotropics must be regulated and supervised,primarily near reserve areas.