Is the TPC result for chocolate powder ok or too high?
Is the TPC result for chocolate powder 1.1 x 106 cfu/g is relevant. I think the microbe result is too high. Can I have anyone opinion?
If the product below is what you are referring to, I guess yr conclusion is correct.
Cocoa powder. In the production of cocoa powder, alkalization or dutching is a process developed in the early 1800s whereby nibs, less commonly cocoa liquor, cocoa powder or press cake are heated with alkali (usually sodiumhydroxide or potassiumcarbonate) at temperatures of 85–1l5◦ C to obtain desired physicochemical changes (flavor, color) as summarized by Kleinert (1988) or Meursing and Zijderveld
(1999). This treatment has a strong sterilizing effect due to the combined effect of water, alkali and heat (Minifie, 1989, Meursing and Zijderveld, 1999).
In the case of cocoa powder, the final flora is almost exclusively introduced during further processing of the almost sterile alkalized liquor, i.e. pressing to extract cocoa butter, breaking of the cake and subsequent grinding of the kibbles, cooling and packaging of the powder (Minifie, 1989). The major recontaminants are sporeformers (Gabis et al., 1970; Mossel et al., 1974). During grinding, heat is evolved and cooling air must be dry to prevent growth of molds in ducts and conveyors (Minifie, 1989). Total aerobic count is therefore very appropriate as an indicator of recontamination of cocoa powder. Products with <103 (ie <1000)cfu/g are normal, whereas counts exceeding 104 (ie > 10,000) cfu/g may indicate poor manufacturing practices (Meursing and Slot, 1968; Collins-Thompson et al., 1978).
similarly -
spec - COCOA_POWDER.pdf 150.19KB 31 downloads
spec2 - cocoa powder.png 40.94KB 11 downloads
Rgds / Charles.C
My company is a chocolate and cocoa manufacturer and our TPC/APC spec for cocoa both natural and dutch(alkalized) is less than 20,000 cfu/g. I've never seen anything get higher than 5000 though. Average for us is probably <100 to 1200 cfu/g.
Hope this helps.