TIME-TEMPERATURE BINOMIAL: EVALUATION OF A QUALITY CONTROL METHOD IN A RESTAURANT SPECIALIZED IN DELIVERY SERVICE

Abstract

With the changes in the population's lifestyle patterns, there was a need to adapt in the most diverse activities of daily life, taking as an example the increased consumption of meals produced outside the home, leading to adaptations by the food services. Thus, the delivery service emerged as part of these adaptations. However, delivery must also offer safe food, with time-temperature control being one of the main tools. There are no laws that determine reference values ​​for the time-temperature binomial for delivery services. The study in question aimed to analyze the time-temperature binomial during the delivery process, as a method of quality control of the food offered. The study was carried out in a private restaurant in the city of Natal/RN in the years 2020, 2021, 2022. The time in which the dishes passed on the delivery route, the temperature variation during the process and the final microbiological quality of the product were monitored. product. From the analyses, it was observed that there was a statistical difference between the initial and final measurements, demonstrating a considerable loss of temperature along the delivery route, noting that dishes that had more liquid lost less temperature. Through microbiological analysis, it was found that all preparations were suitable for consumption at the end of the delivery route, being within the parameters determined by Brazilian legislation. It is concluded that the method studied proved to be useful and effective in proving the safety of the food that went through the delivery process.