The objective of this study was to verify the compliance of the supermarket sector with respect to the Good Practice Program standards of the city of Santa Maria (RS), Brazil. Sixty nine establishments were verified using a checklist of good practices for the supermarket sector in Santa Maria, RS (Brazil), from April to July 2011. The data were collected by a food safety and quality professional using this checklist. The results showed that the overall adequacy of the establishments surveyed was 29.07%. The highest percentage of compliance was found for storage at ambient temperature (64.13%). The lowest compliance percentage was also found in different sections and areas in the supermarkets such as bakery and confectionery (14.93%), water supply (18.30%), food handling (21.01%), sausage and cold meat (or deli meat) (36.38%), and documentation-related items (4.97%). None of the supermarkets evaluated had the necessary documentation for the implementation of good practices. The results of this study show the importance of effectively implementing a good practice program and quality systems by raising awareness among technicians and professionals of the importance of quality programs used in food companies and the need for more thorough inspection delivered by competent authorities to ensure food safety for consumers.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o conhecimento sobre higiene alimentar de manipuladores de alimentos no setor supermercadista do município de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Foi desenvolvida uma lista de verificação com questões relacionadas ao tempo de trabalho, participação em capacitação sobre higiene dos alimentos, procedimentos de higiene com os alimentos e pessoal. A amostra compreendeu 345 manipuladores que consideraram como falta de higiene na manipulação dos alimentos não lavar as mãos (85%), não manter a área de produção de alimentos higienizada (17%) e lavar inadequadamente os alimentos (15%). Os principais cuidados a serem tomados durante a manipulação dos alimentos foram: lavar as mãos antes do preparo dos alimentos (73%) e utilizar luvas (18%). A capacitação dos manipuladores é importante para percepção dos riscos associados à produção de alimentos.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of food hygiene of food handlers in the supermarket sector in the city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. We developed a checklist of issues related to: working time, participation in training on food safety aspects related to hygiene procedures with food and personal hygiene. The sample consisted of 345 handlers: they considered the following as absence of hygiene: not washing hands (85%) not keeping the food production area clean (17%) and not washing food adequately (15%). The main precautions to be taken during food handling in the opinion of the respondents were: hands washing before preparing food (73%) and gloves wearing (18%). The training of handlers is important for the perception of risks associated with food production.

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el conocimiento sobre higiene alimentaria de los manipuladores de alimentos del sector supermercadista del municipio de Santa María, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Fue elaborada una lista de verificación con temas relacionados al tiempo de trabajo, la participación en capacitación sobre higiene alimentaria, los procedimientos de higiene de los alimentos y personal. La muestra fue conformada por 345 manipuladores que consideraron como falta de higiene en la manipulación de los alimentos no lavarse las manos (85%), no mantener el área de producción de alimentos limpia (17%) y no lavar los alimentos adecuadamente (15%). Los principales cuidados que deben adoptarse durante la manipulación de alimentos en la opinión de los encuestados fueron: lavarse las manos antes de prepararlos (73%) y el uso de guantes (18%). La capacitación de los manipuladores es importante para el conocimiento de los riesgos asociados con la producción de alimentos.

A batata Yacon apresenta carboidratos na forma de frutooligossacarídeos (FOS). Estudos comprovam que os FOS aumentam a saciedade e reduzem o índice glicêmico. Os produtos da fermentação podem minimizar a resposta glicêmica, além de estimular a glicólise, e ainda resultam em uma porção reduzida de energia. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram elaborar a farinha de Yacon, avaliar a composição química de diferentes concentrações de farinha de Yacon na elaboração de bolos e analisar sensorialmente as preparações elaboradas. A farinha de Yacon apresentou potencial como ingrediente na formulação de bolos, uma vez que teve boa aceitabilidade.

The Yacon potatoes present carbohydrates in the form of fructo oligosaccharides (FOS). There are studies proving that the FOS delays the gastric emptying, increase the alimentary fiber,have prebiotic and hypoglycemic effects. They stimulate glycolysis, resulting in a reduced amount of energy. The objective of this research was to evaluate the chemical composition of cakes formulated with different concentrations of Yacon flour and to evaluate their sensory characteristics. The Yacon flour presented potential to be a cake ingredient.