SOP for weighing of preservatives
Hi all,
I work as QA Supervisor at meat company that manufacture fresh sausages and some value added cured smallgoods. We prepare our preservative solution by weighing pure Sulphur Dioxide and water. The amount of neat Sulphur Dioxide (SD) added to the water is carefully measured by trained operator to ensure that critical limits of <500 mg/kg (CCP) in final product are achieved and maintained.
I was wondering if someone has a proper SOP to be followed by worker which may include preparation instruction for measuring neat chemical preservatives, monitoring over the process (i.e visual observation, forms to be filled out for accurate records) and verification process (i.e re- weighing the amount of pure SD added to water, chemical testing on final products, etc).
Any suggestions/comments/templates would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Lora
Hi Lora:
I'm assuming that you have a calculation that is performed so that the operator knows how much of the solution to make, based on the weight of the sausage in the batch. A simple SOP would be the step by step instructions on how to perform that calculation, how to weigh out the SD, how to measure the water (either weighed or by volume), how it is dissolved, what indications that the operator uses to determine that it is fully dissolved, and how the operator adds it to the sausage. The operator is the best person to help you write that, since they are the expert on the process.
After the instructions, there could be a mini-form to fill out that has the formula for the calculation, then a place where the operator fills in the amount of sausage and solves the equation for the amounts of SD and water. It would also have spaces for the operator to record the exact weight of the SD and amount of the water. It would also have a box to check to show that the solution was added to the sausage.
At the bottom, there would be a place for the operator to sign and date the form, and a place for the supervisor to sign and date, which would be a verification that the calculations were performed correctly and the amounts added were correct.
Part of the instructions should be the grade of SD that is used, and the supplier if it does not change. There could be a list of PPE that is to be worn, but that is not necessary.
We had similar forms for the laboratory work at the GLP lab that I managed, and GLP is more strict than GMP or ISO 9001, so this should work.
Not knowing all the particulars, I could not make up a form for you, but hopefully this will help you make your own.
Martha
Do you have GFSI certification? Some schemes requires specific information to be included on an SOP regarding CCPs.
For instance, I know BRC requires the staff or staff role, training requirements, the frequency at which the monitoring is taking place, instructions on how to complete monitoring, requirements on recording keeping, critical limtis, etc...