Hygienic-sanitary quality of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and arugula (Eruca sativa) produced in an organic farm system in Cuiabá, MT, Brazil

Abstract

Demand for organic food has increased as a result of awareness of the health risks posed by the presence of chemical residues. In this context, this study aimed to verify the safety of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and arugula (Eruca sativa) produced organically in the metropolitan region of Cuiabá, MT, Brazil, and identify the main microbiological contamination sources of this production system. Fifty-five samples, 10 lettuces and 10 arugula, were collected in a farm and supermarket, in addition to five samples of each agricultural adjuvant used in the production system (irrigation water, vegetable and animal fertilizers). No Salmonella spp. was detected, although thermotolerant coliforms above the maximum acceptable limit established by the Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) were observed in 90% (9/10) and 50% (5/10) of the farm arugula and lettuce samples, 20% (2/10) and 10% (1/10) of the supermarket arugula and lettuce samples, 60% of animal and vegetable fertilizers (6/10) and 40% (2/5) of irrigation water samples. Over half of the vegetable samples analyzed herein were, thus, unfit for consumption, indicating the relatively high influence of system inputs on the hygienic-sanitary quality of the arugula and lettuce produced in the investigated organic farm.