5 replies to this topic

[Scottie07]

Hi, we have an issue with coliforms at my cookie and cracker factory. It is designed as a typical cookie and cracker factory with long cooling conveyor. Currently we are having a problem with coliforms in our finished products, do you have any ideas on how to reduce this or eliminate it? 

[The Food Scientist]

Couple of things:

 

1. Check temperature of baking

3. conveyor belt microbiology (review your EMP, and the swabbing of the belt).

4. The packaging you are using

5. If any employees are handling them, you may need to check GMPs, are they washing their hands properly? Coliforms are fecal indicators.

6. the water, the equipment  you use to clean your conveyors with, are you doing coliform testing? 

 

Hope it helps

[olenazh]

Storage temperature? 

[Setanta]

Couple of things:

 

1. Check temperature of baking

3. conveyor belt microbiology (review your EMP, and the swabbing of the belt).

4. The packaging you are using

5. If any employees are handling them, you may need to check GMPs, are they washing their hands properly? Coliforms are fecal indicators.

6. the water, the equipment  you use to clean your conveyors with, are you doing coliform testing? 

 

Hope it helps

 

 

Start at the beginning of the process, go through and look at each step to see where coliforms are not controlled. If you don't know what they are in your water, or on your mixers, you can't know what to expect at the end of the line.

[moskito]

Hi,

 

my assumption is that the biscuits are ok after the oven. From water activity a bacterial growth should not happen at the surface.
Cooling tunnels/conveyor belts can be a reason for contamination in post-baking steps.

Do you have checked the climate (temperature, temperature distribution, humidity, dew point etc.)? Condensation might be a reason. 

1) cleaning of inner surface of the equipment

2) control of "inner climate"

 

Rgds

 

moskito

[Charles.C]

Hi, we have an issue with coliforms at my cookie and cracker factory. It is designed as a typical cookie and cracker factory with long cooling conveyor. Currently we are having a problem with coliforms in our finished products, do you have any ideas on how to reduce this or eliminate it? 

 

What level of coliforms ? What microbiological procedure ? VRBA ? MPN ?

Please confirm product is micro.  "free" of coliforms (eg <3MPN/g)  directly after baking. Assumed to be Yes.

 

To summarize the previous posts, you presumably have post-baking contamination.

So you need to study yr product flow / handling pattern and take more samples.