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Issue 2 2006, Past issues / 23 May 2006 / Dr Terence Child CSci CChem FRSC, Hygiene Consultant
The application of antimicrobial surfaces in the food industry is creating considerable interest in all aspects of food processing operations.The objective of this article is to review and put into perspective the main technologies currently available for applications in this area. Fully embedded systems and surface coated systems will be defined and described, their mode of action explained and the benefits and disadvantages of each type considered.Test methods for evaluating and comparing different technologies will be discussed and indications given of the possible place for antimicrobial coatings in enhanced food hygiene programmes.
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Issue 2 2006, Past issues / 23 May 2006 / Iekje Berg, Hetty Jongbloed, Leo van Boxtel, TNO Quality of Life, Zeist
Micro-organisms are the main cause of food spoilage (spoilage organisms) and food-borne diseases (pathogens).Traditional methods to control the growth of micro-organisms include heating (blanching, pasteurisation and sterilisation), freezing and the use of preservative agents. However, consumer demands are changing and they are now asking for fresh, healthy food combined with an extended shelf life. For this reason much work has been carried out in recent years on new (mild) preservation techniques,which can be an alternative for thermal pasteurisation and sterilisation.
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Issue 1 2006, Past issues / 9 March 2006 / Peter de Jong and Meike te Giffel, NIZO food research, The Netherlands
In the food industry the operation costs are governed by fouling. Typically, processes applied in the dairy industry that operate below 80°C are limited by adherence and growth of micro-organisms in the equipment. Above 80°C the run time is limited by deposition of proteins and minerals. Besides the limited run time, bio-fouling may have implications for product spoilage.
Adhered spoilage organisms may be released to the product during processing. For example, the adherence and release of bacteria and bacterial spores in a milk pasteuriser may lead to defects such as excessive openness or late-blowing in cheese or taste deviations.
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Issue 1 2006, Past issues / 9 March 2006 / Emma West, Meat Industry Inspection Specialist, EFSIS
The meat industry has, deservedly or not, been the subject of much adverse media comment in recent years. Recognised standards, inspected by independent third party auditors, are a key tool in building and maintaining consumer confidence. This article examines how standards work in the modern meat processing sector.
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Issue 1 2006, Past issues / 9 March 2006 / Skip Seward, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, American Meat Institute
Hygienic manufacture of food and beverage is a theme closely allied to New Food. A major contribution toward the goal of safe food production is ensuring that processing equipment is designed with this in mind. The European Hygienic Engineering Design Group (EHEDG) provide regular contributions describing their work and principles in New Food, but this article takes a look at the efforts of the American Meat Institute in establishing sanitary design principles for meat processing equipment.
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Issue 1 2006, Past issues / 9 March 2006 / Assistant Professor Bo Boye Busk Jensen and Associate Professor Alan Friis, Food Biotechnology and Engineering, BioCentrum-DTU
The efficiency of Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) procedures greatly depends on fluid flow (i.e. the motion of detergent and rinsing water). Thorough understanding of the physical action of fluid flow during cleaning allows for redesign of equipment and design of CIP procedures with respect to optimal cleaning characteristics. This article discusses the importance of fluid flow as an aspect of the cleaning processes. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is applied for prediction of areas inside closed process equipment, which are potentially difficult to clean. Finally, some commonly encountered questions on flow conditions during cleaning are discussed based on CFD results.
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Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 21 November 2005 / Mandy Drabwell, New Food
Well informed consumers demand the highest quality food, which means fresh, nutritious, safe products. It is in the manufacturers’ interest to ensure that their products reach consumers in perfect condition and that – at the very least – it is safe to consume.
Of course, this feat requires careful attention throughout the entire supply chain, but food and beverages are at significant risk of contamination during manufacture within the factory. Ingredients come into contact with surfaces and an environment that is in constant contact with food (and all the bacteria and microorganisms that come with it). Adherence to proper hygiene standards is therefore essential in order to prevent contamination at this vulnerable stage of production. But what are most significant issues for processors to consider and what technologies can help?
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Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 21 November 2005 / Paulo Bonometti, Technical Director, Centrale del Latte di Brescia Spa
In the field of food packaging it is particularly important to guarantee correct preservation of the product. This means that the food product, during its shelf life and prior to consumption, must retain its nutritional properties and organoleptic characteristics.
Also, consumers prefer practical packaging. When considering liquid food, for example juice and milk, consumers favour a light pack with a large opening so that the product pours easily without splashing. Methods that enable the package to be re-sealed when a product is not to be consumed at once are also preferred.
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Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 21 November 2005 / René Achterberg, Judith Maneschijn-Bonsing, Rinus Bloemraad, Manon Swanenburg and Kitty Maassen, Animal Sciences Group, Lelystad, The Netherlands
Programs for monitoring Salmonella in the pork production chain have begun in several European countries. For an assay to be used in a monitoring program, it is a prerequisite that the total testing time per sample is short and that regeneration is optimal. In collaboration with a major pork producer in The Netherlands, a pilot study for herd screening was conducted to compare the performance of two immunoassays for the detection of antibodies directed to Salmonella sero-groups B and D in porcine sera in a routine setting.
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Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 21 November 2005 / Christian James, Food Refrigeration Process Engineering Research Centre, University of Bristol
There is no terminal step (such as cooking) to eliminate pathogenic organisms from raw meat before it reaches the consumer. The consumer is relied upon to ‘adequately’ cook the meat so that any pathogens that may be present are killed. Many studies have shown that at the time of slaughter the muscle tissue of a healthy animal is, essentially, sterile and it is only the surface of the meat that is contaminated with pathogenic and spoilage organisms during slaughter and subsequent handling. This article describes the work, particularly at the University of Bristol, that is taking place to try and develop such treatments and problems that are being encountered.
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Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 29 July 2005 / Dr Ken Burgess, Technical Director, Dairy Crest
Responsibility for safety from ‘farm to fork’ is obviously shared between farmers, manufacturers and processors, distributors, consumers and various government authorities. The perspective of the manufacturer is in ensuring that known food safety risks are managed and controlled, while the areas of new and emerging food safety risk have traditionally been the government’s domain. However, in recent years, the retailer has joined the manufacturer in taking responsibility for food safety in the factory and both have become more involved in assessing and managing potential new issues.
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Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 29 July 2005 / Gun Wirtanen and Satu Salo, VTT Biotechnology, Espoo, Finland
The project ‘DairyNET – Hygiene control in dairies’ was built both on common synergy tasks performed in all Nordic countries and on national research studies. The synergy tasks dealt with rapid detection of cleaning agents and disinfectants residues, detection of organic soil in processing equipment hot spots and detection of moulds contaminating cheese. The national research dealt with a checklist for hygiene control; milk quality through the whole process line; air quality; contamination routes for Listeria; quality of process waters; efficiency of CIP procedures; hygiene in supply systems; ultrasound cleaning procedures; bacterial resistance to disinfectants; hygienic design and integrated hygiene systems.
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Issue 2 2005, Past issues / 3 May 2005 / Eric Maucci, Food Hygiene Technical Manager, Laboratoire Inter-Départemental des Analyses Laitières (LIDAL)
Renowned for its ‘postcard’ lake-side setting surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the beautiful French town of Annecy is perhaps less well known as the home of famous regional raw cows’ milk cheeses, such as Reblochon and Tomme. Controlling the quality of these cheeses and the raw milk used to produce them, is the daily task of the Annecy-based reference laboratory, LIDAL.
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Issue 2 2005, Past issues / 3 May 2005 / Anlaug Ådland Hansen, Dept. of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences and Thomas Eie, Dept. Of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Matforsk AS, Norwegian Food Research Institute, Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of fish extends the shelf life of high quality products at low temperatures by inhibiting bacterial growth, oxidative reactions and unwanted components such as TMA (trimethylamine). CO2 is the most important gas used in MAP because of its negative effect on bacterial growth.
An initial alteration of the gaseous environment surrounding the product, modified from its initial condition, is defined as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) (Brody, 1989). Different forms of MAP have been used for several decades (Coyne, 1933) and MAP fish is now a popular product in many markets making fresh skinned and boned fishfillets convenient for consumers.
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Issue 2 2005, Past issues / 3 May 2005 / Dr. Lotte Dock Steenstrup, Dr. Alan Friis, BioCentrum-DTU, The Technical University of Denmark and Dr. Roland Cocker, Cocker Consulting, Netherlands
The demands that are placed on product and process within the food production industry are interconnected. Therefore, it is not appropriate to use a largely sequential approach to designing a production facility, where you first address the primary function of the product, i.e. product quality and then consider other issues such as safety, hygienic design, cleaning, flexibility and traceability. There is a need for integration of these issues, in order to make the best decisions and to balance the different needs.
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