Jump to content

  • Quick Navigation
Photo

Paperwork & record keeping for acidified foods

Share this

  • You cannot start a new topic
  • Please log in to reply
7 replies to this topic
- - - - -

AW1488

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 31 posts
  • 8 thanks
2
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 31 January 2018 - 07:54 PM

Hi!  I'm a new member to the site and also have a few questions!  I have been working in the food industry for 6 years, primarily with snack foods.  I'm now working in beverages and we recently added a couple new products that fall into the acidified foods category.

 

I was wondering the best way to set up the paperwork & record keeping for these products since we must test the equilibrium pH the next day.  Do we need to test each batch that is produced?  We typically run 3,000 gallon batches which yields about 2,000 cases.  Is 1 sample from each batch enough? 

 

Also on an example I found for retorted products the record included doing a tear down of the container.  We run glass and PET bottles using HTST for pasteurization.  Would I need to include checking the caps and vacuum when we check  the equilibrium pH?

 

Also from an auditing standpoint what is the best way to keep these records?  Should they get filed with daily paperwork or should I be keeping in their own binder?  We run the products maybe once a month so I didn't know how closely auditors/inspectors would need to check them.

 

Last question would checking the equilibrium pH be considered a CCP or just a standard testing procedure?

 

Any help or examples of records would be appreciated!



kingstudruler1

    Grade - PIFSQN

  • IFSQN Principal
  • 825 posts
  • 284 thanks
242
Excellent

  • United States
    United States

Posted 08 February 2018 - 03:18 AM

I have enough knowledge of acidified foods to be dangerous.  if you are truly making an acidified food, have you registered as an acidifed food manufacture, have a scheduled process from a process authority, etc?  I thought the process authority outlined test limits and frequencies.   I don't know your process to comment on ccps.  However any deviation from the scheduled process could render your product unsafe.  

 

are we talking about the same thing, or am I not understanding.  21 cfr 114.3


eb2fee_785dceddab034fa1a30dd80c7e21f1d7~

    Twofishfs@gmail.com

 


AW1488

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 31 posts
  • 8 thanks
2
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 08 February 2018 - 03:12 PM

Hi mikepeters57301!

 

Thanks for the reply.  I have completed the registration for our facility as an acidified food manufacturer, and filed the 2541e for the product.  I also registered and started the better process control school.  We are a co-packer so we do require our customers to have their product reviewed by a process authority.  He set the pasteurization parameters and testing frequencies for in process testing but his letter doesn't say anything about testing the equilibrium pH.  The only thing he told me was that I'm required to do it so I have been looking at different record keeping and trying to figure out the best process for our plant.  So any suggestions you have on that end I would appreciate.  I was also just hoping to network with some other people that deal with acidified products since I am new to the process.  



FurFarmandFork

    Food Safety Consultant, Production Supervisor

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,264 posts
  • 590 thanks
206
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Oregon, USA

Posted 08 February 2018 - 05:47 PM

 

 

Last question would checking the equilibrium pH be considered a CCP

 

If the pH is outside of the range included in your process filing, it should technically result in rework or recall. Generally if you plan to rework or recall something for safety reasons based on a measurement it should be a CCP.


Austin Bouck
Owner/Consultant at Fur, Farm, and Fork.
Consulting for companies needing effective, lean food safety systems and solutions.

Subscribe to the blog at furfarmandfork.com for food safety research, insights, and analysis.

Thanked by 1 Member:

LachelleOMP

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 28 posts
  • 0 thanks
2
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 05 February 2019 - 09:14 PM

Does anyone have a sample log that they use to track acidifieds?



kfromNE

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,053 posts
  • 292 thanks
304
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female
  • Interests:Bicycling, reading, nutrition, trivia

Posted 06 February 2019 - 04:49 PM

Does anyone have a sample log that they use to track acidifieds?

 
I use an excel document. In Excel the equation is simple - =Average(your range of numbers). I've attached an example of how I do it. Our pH along with other testing is done by a 3rd party lab.

 

 

Attached Files


Edited by KfromIA, 06 February 2019 - 04:50 PM.


AW1488

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 31 posts
  • 8 thanks
2
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 06 February 2019 - 05:33 PM

Does anyone have a sample log that they use to track acidifieds?

Sure here is what we use.  

Date Produced Product Time Stamp Batch # Sample pH  Date of Testing Time of Testing Cap Check Pass/Fail Equilibrium pH (CCP) QA Initials Manager Review                      


Scampi

    Fellow

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 5,444 posts
  • 1507 thanks
1,524
Excellent

  • Canada
    Canada
  • Gender:Not Telling

Posted 07 February 2019 - 09:13 PM

We also test at the 30 day mark for pH.................sometimes the swing is larger than you expect and if you're running close to 4.6 you could be in a bit of a mess


Please stop referring to me as Sir/sirs




Share this

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users