Help with blast chiller / freezer
Morning all,
I’m currently after your advice. We currently make a baked Coconut crisp bite that is made of meringue, condensed milk, coconut and chocolate. Think of a small bounty bar, and that’s pretty much it, just nicer!
However, cutting with an ultrasonic at ambient is proving difficult at the product is too soft and it falls apart. The company we make this for want us to use a blast chiller/ freezer to take the temperature down to -5°C and -10°C. This purely for operational reasons and not food safety.
However, for my FSQMS, for due diligence, what is best practice, and what should I be doing? Even though I know the product is stable at ambient, should I be considering any environmental impacts from the freezer?
Welcome your thoughts
Hello,
I would consider monitoring and recording freezer temperature for your customer to show that you are following the guidelines they requested.
Environmentally blast chillers/freezers are notorious for Listeria. I would recommend you add under the freezer, in the freezer, the entrance and exit to your environmental program.
Hi tdowling, thanks for the information, I will certainly look into this.
As this process is for operational reasons, and the product is stable. Should I be testing finished product, or not?
I doubt that L.monocytogenes will be very active at -10degC.
I suspect a somewhat harder "crisp" may be achieved.
L.mono won't be active at that temperature, but can be present. Since the bar will not be consumed frozen there is a chance for outgrowth as the bar warms up.
Blue Bell Creamery here in the states had that problem with their ice cream...everyone thinks "frozen products, no problem!" but many fail to take into account how those frozen products are handled by the consumer.
L.mono won't be active at that temperature, but can be present. Since the bar will not be consumed frozen there is a chance for outgrowth as the bar warms up.
Blue Bell Creamery here in the states had that problem with their ice cream...everyone thinks "frozen products, no problem!" but many fail to take into account how those frozen products are handled by the consumer.
Hi Ryan,
Sorry, I probably should have been more precise.
i was responding to the comment regarding, I assumed, possible (l.mono) cross-contamination due to being within the freezer. I'm unfamiliar with bakery product flows but IMEX of seafood products, the latter are invariably fully covered within (static) air blast freezers to prevent freezer burn. In my hazard analyses the risk of pathogenic x-contamination in this step has always been "negligible". Such freezers when in use are typically maintained at <-20degC other than when being cleaned/sanitized/monitored.
In contrast, conveyor freezers often run with exposed product surfaces so I suppose x-contamination from "low-flying" bacteria is theoretically feasible (??) or from the belt itself. However IMEX such belts are able to be continuously sanitized plus the internal freezer environment is usually routinely sanitized at a minimum on a daily basis.
PS - afai could see the root cause of BlueBell incident was, other than suspected Sanitation factors, never pinpointed ?