[Proposal of reference values of microbiological environment monitoring in foodservice establishments]

To propose a new reference of microbiological environment monitoring in foodservice establishments.

The present work shows the determination and evaluation of the microbiological contamination generated in a foodservice establishment Method: It is based on surface sampling (microbial build-up) using mixed cellulose ester membrane filters and on air sampling (hourly microbial adhesion) using Petri dishes.

Limits of contamination are established before and during the food elaboration, by means of the microbiological analysis of the environment, surfaces and equipment systems, until reliable limits and levels of acceptance are established of each selected point. Finally, a program of environmental microbiological monitoring was established including the evaluation of all parameters that compose and are implicit in the area, thus assuring and supporting its continuity with the documentation and registers developed for a safety area. Samples for microbiological examination were collected over a period of one moth on ten different days, at two different times. Twelve selected points having previously been identified as hazardous were monitored. Furthermore, foods though to be of high risk were periodically collected for microbiological analysis.

The possibility to use of an ample range of selective media, well over the limited number used in this study, allows the analysis of many single microbial species.