Fungos em água envasada em garrafões de 20 litros comercializadana região metropolitana de Recife-PE

Abstract

The quality of the water for consume is animportant factor for the health and life quality of the consumers.The Brazilian Health Minister (MS) guarantees the harmlessness of the water consumed by the Brazilians over the establishment of rules and standards based of the presence of toxic compounds and bacteria. The search for natural mineral water is great all over the world and many are the reasons that lead the consumers to acquire this product, among them the purity characteristics contribute for this rise. Although, studies show cases of contaminations by fungus in bottled mineral water, being found even in high counting, even in anoligotrophic environment. This can constitute health risk for the consumers, mainly by immunocompromised individuals. The Brazilian legislation does not include fungus in the microbiological analysis for potable water. This work shows the presence of fungus in bottled water of 20 liters, comercialized in the great are of the city of Recife (RMR).There were randomly selected fifty 20 L bottles of tendifferent brands. From each brand there were analysed 5 samples of different lots, accordingly methodology of plate counting established in the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. Contaminants fungus were found in every brand in different concentrations, with the 10 brands here identified from A to J, 8 showed contamination by filamentous fungus and yeast (A, C, D, E, F, G, H, J) and a difference in the contaminant quantity.The B and I samples showed low contamination by filamentous fungus and did not showed the presence of yeast.The pH of the analysed samples variedfrom 4.1 and 5.4. The results of this research allowed to conclude that the bottled water in 20Lbottles comercialized in the RMR can be contaminated by fungus; that there is great variation in the contaminations by this kind of microorganisms and that the pH of the different brands analysed, between 4,1 and 5,4, can contribute to the presence and/or development of the contaminants fungus. It is expected that with these records, contribute for the inclusion of fungus in the potability parameters for the human consume. Because the confrontation of these information with from others researchers, shows that this kinds of water can be animportant path to the dissemination of fungus and diseases transmissions.