3 replies to this topic

[calamari]

Hi guys .
i can't think of a critical limits for this unique product here
my product is a Pulled pork product which is cooked on an hot plate at 130degree Celsius for 5 hours ..
the internal temperature of the pulled pork is around 90 degree C for 5 hours .
the result is a RTE dried pull pork product looking like this (not my company, but some pic i goggled )

http://taiwanfoodpro...rkfluff_0_0.jpg

my question is , my cooking temperature/time far exceed regulations , would i still use that as my critical limits ?

any comments and inputs are welcome

Thanks

[George @ Safefood 360°]

Hi calamari,

As you know, under HACCP principles your Critical Limit is not a random number. In the context of cooking meats it is the temperature and time required to achieve a 6 log reduction in your pathogen e.g. Listeria mono / Salamonella etc. So for Listeria mono you will be looking at 70oC for 2 minutes (or some other equivalent specification).

The fact that your process concerns a higher temperature for a longer time does not change the actual critical limit. So when it comes to HACCP and defining your CCP you will go with the minimum lethal kill specification and not the actual operational specification.

Your key issue is one of validation of your cooking process. I must admit the product depicted in your link is new to me, but I am familiar with bulk cooking of cured pork products which also undergo cooking regimes far in excess of the critical limit.

A validation plan should be developed for your hot plate process to ensure any 'cold' spots are mapped and that the core of the product achieves the critical limit. It is worth doing since i have seen bulk ham cooking processing with cold spots leading to the survival of Listeria mono (even though thermograph results showed adequate heat treatment). As I say, hot plate process is new to me so I can t really say what the risks are but the product looks tasty enough...

[shea quay]

While I don't want to be that guy who says it depends on your process, it, erm, depends on your process (sorry). Essentially, your process is based on a long time heating process, which would incorporate an accumulated heating process. This means that your process may hit the critical limit at a number of points along the way, i.e. it may spend well over 26 seconds at 75C, 2 seconds at 85C, etc, etc. Therefore, I would advise a time/temp verification that proves that the general critical limit is reached a long time before your recorded verification for the CCP, allowing your recorded limit to be 90C without the need of a calibrated stopwatch and time limit. This would involve hiring an external calibration company annually to record the product core temperature once annually - I can't imagine there would be an issue. Your validation would be the standard scientific information for 6 log listeria cooking limits. Alternatively, you could mention the phrase "accumulated heating process" to your auditor (this works!).
May the man who has eaten 4 packets of crisps and a quarter pounder with cheese meal (with coke - it is a Friday) say, that product looks REALLY unhealthy!

[calamari]

Thank you guys for the inputs
we just passed an audit last week with flying colors ...

it is such a tasty product , but as we all know tasty product comes with consequence.