FOOD PATHOGENS AND FOOD SAFETY: EMERGING TRENDS (AND A LOT OF THE SAME OLD STUFF) Adam Borger University of Wisconsin-Madison Food Research Institute 13 th Annual Industrial Refrigeration Consortium.
Topics Microbiological spoilage and pathogens. Importance of temperature control. Common quandaries of cooling comestibles. i.e., what goes wrong in food preparation. Emerging trends and controls. Overview of Food Research Institute. Please ask questions throughout.
The bottom line early on!
Microbiological spoilage. Refrigeration and freezing are of the utmost importance in food preparation and distribution. Spoilage of foods = huge economic burden. Food spoilage costs food-related businesses money and cuts into gross profit. Spoiled food is food that you've paid for and have to throw away. In addition to the materials expense of throwing away food, your business also has to pay employees to handle unusable product. AZ Central.com Refrigeration temperature control greatly reduces spoilage. Won t eliminate.
This was maintained at 40 o F
So was this.
Microbiological pathogens. Refrigeration and freezing are of the utmost importance in maintaining food safety. Food Code and Codex regulations demand refrigeration for foods requiring temperature control for safety (TSC). In general, foods with ph >4.6; Aw > 0.88. What is refrigeration temperature? 40 o F, 41 o F, 45 o F, 50 o F, 55 o F. Refrigeration stops most pathogen growth: Notable exceptions: Listeria monocytogenes, non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum. Freezing stops all microbial growth but may not kill. Does kill Trichinae and other parasites.
Microbiological pathogens. Refrigeration and freezing are of the utmost importance in maintaining food safety. Cooling of previously heated foods. Controls potential growth of vegetative microorganisms. Staphylococcus aureus. Controls potential growth of spore-forming microorganisms. Clostridium perfringens, C. botulinum, Bacillus cereus. USDA Appendix B, Food Code.
Common microbiological problems concerns with cooling systems.
So many options
Three basic concerns. Temperature control. Sanitary design. Moisture control. Other concerns such as worker safety, while very important, are topics for a different discussion.
Temperature Control. Can the system maintain temperature? How well at handling hot food replacements? Deli case? Do food processors understand the capabilities? Airflow - overfill. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (and boats)?
Sanitary Design. Huge impact on product safety. Engineering firms and equipment manufacturers working with companies more often. Standards: 3A, American Meat Institute, Grocery Manufacturer s Association, etc. http://www.3-a.org/ www.meatami.com/ht/a/getdocumentaction/i/62194. www.gmaonline.org/ Remember: Listeria thrives in cold, wet environments as do many spoilage microbes.
Sanitary Design. Examples: Piano hinges on liquid N 2 mixer. Spirals. Access to cooling fins? CIP systems reaching below belt? Access panels might be cut after in place. Blast freezers fans, floors, walls, doors? Drip pans.
Sanitary Design. Designing a cleanable unit: Food company responsibility to clean. Company and manufacturer should work together to establish procedures. Does this happen? Smaller companies? Extraordinary amount of money do not want problems to arise later.
Moisture Control. Does the equipment drain properly? Microbes love food and water. Again: Listeria loves cold and wet areas. Frost accumulation in transition zones. Advice on shut-down frequency and procedures? Keep frozen areas frozen? Are there considerations for size and number of drains, sloping of floors, etc.?
Moisture control - examples
Emerging Issues
Emerging issues. Global warming. How does this impact energy use? Stress on older facilities. Seasonality in environmental microbiological issues. New microbiological concerns? More reliance on refrigeration/freezing systems? Fish and Shellfish warmer waters and more (different?) bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins. Refrigeration afterwards will not help in some cases. Need for cooler waters during growing/farming? Do more parasites become a concern in meat and fish?
Emerging issues. Global warming Study on England and Wales Using published data on the relationship between reported and actual numbers of cases of food poisoning, it is estimated that annually there might be an additional 179,000 cases of food poisoning by the year 2050 as a result of climate change. The observed relationship with the same month's temperature underlies the need for improvements in storage, preparation and hygiene close to the point of consumption. However, there was a much stronger relationship with the temperature of the previous month, indicating the importance of conditions earlier in the food production process. Improvements in areas such as animal husbandry and slaughtering may also be necessary to avoid the adverse effects of a warmer climate. Bentham, G. C., and I. H. Langford. 1995. Climate change and the incidence of food poisoning in England and Wales," International Journal Biometeorology, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 81-86. That was 18 years ago.in England and Wales
Emerging issues. FSMA. Imports to US. What temperature controls might be considered? Can this be documented and confirmed? Transportation and measuring spoilage potential. Thermal indicators = re-routing foods to new locales? Marketing activities. New innovative product-placement ideas? Refrigerated individual units for eye-level shelf placement in aisle? Who knows.
Summary Keep it cold. Reliable temperature control. Documented and traceable. Easy to clean. Sanitary design. Control moisture. Keep it dry wherever possible. Think toward the future what could happen and are we ready?
The founders of the Food Research Institute visualized an independent, academically based organization of high technical competence to whom industry could turn for unbiased information on questions of food safety. E. M. Foster, FRI Director, 1966 1986 The Food Research Institute (FRI) is the portal to food safety at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Expertise in microbiology, food science, dairy science, meat science, veterinary medicine, plant pathology, and food allergy. FRI conducts basic and applied research on foodborne bacteria, molds, protozoa and viruses; We focus on microbial and toxin detection systems, pre-harvest and postharvest intervention strategies, and mitigating diet-related diseases. FRI conducts collaborative research between faculty and industry. We are a recognized process authority for pasteurized process cheese products. Customized literature reviews, training sessions and industry sabbaticals are also available.
THANK YOU. Adam Borger acborger@wisc.edu 608-283-7062