Food safety considerations of a new frying line (pasta chicharrones)
Hello everyone! I have been posting many questions lately and I highly appreciate everyone's two cents.
So our new senior management have proposed of adding a new line to our operations: a frying line.
Details:
We repack snacks, candies, spices...etc so our process is repacking really.
they are looking into adding a fryer process. They want to fry "chicharrones" . But not the pork one, the wheat "pasta" one (into RTE). It is a Latin American snack.
So obviously looking at HACCP, I will be making the plan for this one as it has more to it than just repacking. We are actually processing here. Now my question is, since this product is not so risky. Do I still need some validations here (like validation for roasters for roasting nuts)? I have not done a risk assessment yet but I do know this pasta pieces are not really risky in terms of microbiology like raw nuts or seeds. What are the measures and controls I should be looking at? It is def an allergen, will be monitoring the oil quality too.
Any help? :)
Testing for chemicals (e.g. heavy metals), sensory (e.g. oil is subject to rancidity), shelf life
Hi The Food Scientist
I will suggest to begin with the beginning, not the end. Just follow one HACCP method, from codex or ISO, as you want.
First determine what your product is, which raw materials you use and what is the intended use.
Second, make your ptocess flow, and check it on site.
Third, make you hazard analysis. I definitely prefer the ISO method here. Begin with the list of all your hazards (biological - which means bacteria, yeast, moulds, but also mealworms, for example - , chemical - like oil byproducts, acrylamid, ... -, physical - like stones, hair, packaging pieces,...), determine the occurence in finished products and gravity, and you will get the relevant hasards. For each of those hasards, determine the acceptable level in the final product and check how this hazard will evolve through the process (being there - in raw materials -, contamination, removal, survival). When necessary, add some preventative measures, and check if those measures are CCP (or oPRP for ISO)
Then you will know what to check.
Some people use the other way : They control that point for each batch, so its a CCP. I don't like this idea, it is not what codex teach us to do and there is no risk management in that case. Only habits.
Ahhh --- I love these - Chicharrones de harina are basically a type of pasta. The pasta is made with flour, water, salt & baking powder. Nothing else!
All I could get in Costa Rica was the pork kind, but in Panama a lot of stores had the Chicha's as a pinwheel of wheat or pasta - can eat those all day long!
I had a snack company as a client and they would send me a care package of their products each month --- I would have worked for them just for the pinwheels!
Ahhh --- I love these - Chicharrones de harina are basically a type of pasta. The pasta is made with flour, water, salt & baking powder. Nothing else!
All I could get in Costa Rica was the pork kind, but in Panama a lot of stores had the Chicha's as a pinwheel of wheat or pasta - can eat those all day long!
I had a snack company as a client and they would send me a care package of their products each month --- I would have worked for them just for the pinwheels!
Sorry of off-topic: I envy you that you can eat this kind of food whole day long without gaining weight:)
Hello everyone! I have been posting many questions lately and I highly appreciate everyone's two cents.
So our new senior management have proposed of adding a new line to our operations: a frying line.
Details:
We repack snacks, candies, spices...etc so our process is repacking really.
they are looking into adding a fryer process. They want to fry "chicharrones" . But not the pork one, the wheat "pasta" one (into RTE). It is a Latin American snack.
So obviously looking at HACCP, I will be making the plan for this one as it has more to it than just repacking. We are actually processing here. Now my question is, since this product is not so risky. Do I still need some validations here (like validation for roasters for roasting nuts)? I have not done a risk assessment yet but I do know this pasta pieces are not really risky in terms of microbiology like raw nuts or seeds. What are the measures and controls I should be looking at? It is def an allergen, will be monitoring the oil quality too.
Any help? :)
Hi TFS,
Sadly, not being American or a food gourmet, I have zero idea what this product is.
RTE ?????, "not really risky" !!! ????
From a HACCP POV, some product/process info. is priceless. :smile: