Food safety is of paramount importance and managing microbiological risks is a key feature. The safety of a food material is nowadays ensured by a preventive approach and includes the implementation of Good Hygiene Practice (GHP) and the application of process and procedures that make use of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles.
Many businesses manage microbiological risk through each stage of the process which is also the supply chain. This will encompass Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Microbiological Criteria
Microbiological criteria is applied at any point or stage in the food supply chain. These criteria are used to assess the acceptance of all sorts of raw materials through to finished products.
The criteria are base don the absence and/or presence pf particular microorganisms or quantitative limits of these or other microorganisms, per unit of mass, are, volume or lot.
The Need For Microbiological Criteria And Specifications
Governments, buyers and consumer rely on food safety management systems to assure that safe food is available throughout the food supply chain.
So much food is passed around globally that end product testing is not enough to ensure safe food. This is because of sampling plan limitations so food is no longer systematically tested.
The metrics that harmonise food safety and ensure trading alignment are the established microbiological criteria.
International bodies exist to help all members of the food supply chain in assessing emerging food safety concerns. The International Commission on Microbiological Specifications For Foods (ICMSF).
The Codex Alimentarius In Setting Microbiological Specifications
There are three types of microbiological criteria:-
The Microbiological Standards
Microbiology criteria are mandatory. These are written into law or government regulations and are specified by governments to protect public health.
They include the European Hygiene and Food Safety Criteria 2073/2005.
The Microbiological Guidelines
This is microbiological criteria that is based on advice to food producers about expected or acceptable microbial levels when the food production process is under control when operated under best practices.
Microbiological Specifications
The microbiological criteria is established between buyer sand producers to define product quality and safety attributes required by the buyer.
Adherence To Microbiological Methods
Microbiological methods are used to check if raw materials and finished products are in agreement with microbiological specifications.
Microbiological testing is used by both company. industry bodies and government.
Key Types Of Microorganisms
-Pathogens
A number of foodborne pathogens exist. Finished products will have a defined set of pathogens which must be absent from the product.
Foodborne pathogens include all those causing gastrointestinal illness following ingestion of food and invasion and colonization of host tissues.
Pathogens include Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).
-Hygiene indicators
Hygiene indicators are usually included microbiological specifications for a number of reasons:
- verify GMP/GHP and the HACCP system
- indicate deviations in hygiene and sanitary conditions. If the levels are unacceptable they will indicate an increased risk of the presence of associated pathogens.
- hygiene indicators described in scientific literature have overlapping characteristics and can be considered redundant or beyond requirements.
- The top hygiene indicators are Enterobacteriaceae (Eb) and aerobic mesophilic count (AMC).
Sampling Plans
A sampling plan defines the requirements or limits and their rigour or stringency. It is the basis for a decision on release and acceptance of tested lots.
All sampling plans have an element of risk in terms of judging whether a batch is rejected or not. This will be due to microbiological testing limitations and the heterogenous distribution of the microorganisms in the sample.
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