Carrot Juice Concentrate HACCP plan example
I am not sure how to do controls for C. bot in our Carrot juice concentrate plan. We don't want to acidfy to below 4.6. Could water activity be a control. the product is frozen after pasteurization. i was hoping maybe some one had a sample plan.
If the product remains refrigerated/frozen for the entire supply chain, it's exempt from the acidified foods regs.
21 cfr 114.3(b) Acidified foods means low-acid foods to which acid(s) or acid food(s) are added; these foods include, but are not limited to, beans, cucumbers, cabbage, artichokes, cauliflower, puddings, peppers, tropical fruits, and fish, singly or in any combination. They have a water activity (aw) greater than 0.85 and have a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below. These foods may be called, or may purport to be, "pickles" or "pickled ___." Carbonated beverages, jams, jellies, preserves, acid foods (including such foods as standardized and nonstandardized food dressings and condiment sauces) that contain small amounts of low-acid food(s) and have a resultant finished equilibrium pH that does not significantly differ from that of the predominant acid or acid food, and foods that are stored, distributed, and retailed under refrigeration are excluded from the coverage of this part.
Your C. bot control is temperature control. That would be a process preventive control. Keep it under 41 to meet the reg, keep it under 37 to control for all subtypes of C. bot. This is further supported by page 19 of appendix 1, which shows that juices that are refrigerated are not expected to control for c. bot. https://www.fda.gov/.../99581/download
Looks like FFF has you covered on the regulatory front.
In terms of a process approach if it is something that you specifically did want to consider, what thermal process options do you have available to you on site?
I have seen processors of carrot (and indeed other higher-pH vegetable juices) aiming for ambient-stable product approach this using a preliminary UHT sterilisation (i.e. sufficient to kill endospores) on the single-strength before it hits the evaporator, and then a final pasteurisation prior to filling.
Not an approach I'd recommend for most fruit juices, but carrot is relatively robust stuff ;)
This is an old thread, but temperature alone is not considered appropriate in low-acid juices anymore. The problem is potential temperature abuse.
Here is a link to the FDA page related to this issue