Storage temperature for mozzarella stuffed peppers in oil?
Hi all,
Recently I noticed that a product we stock was being stored at between 8-10°C and I'm pretty sure that in the past it was even stored at ambient temperature. The product in question is peppers stuffed with mozzarella in oil. Obviously with mozzarella being a soft cheese and the legal limit for storage <8°C, it was pointed out that these should be binned, with the next intake being stored at a lower temperature. My question is this: would the products swimming in oil not prohibit the multiplication of organisms to a level that would mean not needing to have it chilled right down anyway or is that pretty irrelevant given the product in question?
Regards,
Andy
Hi Andy
The advised give to u that the present lot of peppers stuffed with mozzarella in oil should be binned and the new lot should be stored below 80C prefeably below 50C is correct. I have not seen any published work with indicate that bacterial growth would not happen if the soft cheese is suspended in oil.
Kind regards
Dr. Humaid Khan
Managing Director
Halal International Services
Sydney Australia