Diagnóstico da cadeia produtiva de ostras em dois municípios da região do Baixo Sul da Bahia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterize producers and shellfish collectors woman in municipalities of the Taperoá and Valença, Bahia, as well as to verify the microbiological quality of oysters in the chain production. For this, the work was divided into three steps. In the first step was characterized the socioeconomic profile of seafood producers and shellfish collectors’ woman using semi-structured questionnaires. The low social and educational levels of seafood producers and shellfish collectors’ woman make that does not have the productive chain organization, mainly regarding the handling of molluscs. Because this, training courses were conducted in order to orient them of the importance of good handling practices. In the second step, was evaluated the microbiological quality of the water and oysters in two cultivation areas in Taperoá, Bahia, besides tests using depuration process. The waters of cultivation areas are not appropriate for the activity of ostreiculture due to the high load of thermotolerant coliforms. This reality is reflected in oysters, whereas 66,6% of samples in cultivation area CI and 83% in cultivation area CII could not be commercialized without pretreatment. In the depuration process, the 24 hours period was not sufficient to reduce in the levels acceptable the coliforms load. In the third step of this work consisted in verifying the views of consumers and owners from three specialized stores in seafood regarding the safety of shellfish, oysters and microbiological quality evaluation of conditions hygienic sanitary of establishments. Consumers and owners do not worry about issues of good practices, since oysters of quality is oyster that present large size. Staphylococcus coagulase positive was found above of the limit established by law in 55% of samples. All the establishments presented inadequacies regarding the facilities and hygienic sanitary conditions.