Vacuum Packing & Seal Integrity Monitoring
Hi,
I've been tasked with creating a vacuum packing / seal integrity procedure & monitoring records - the HACCP document has them both as individual CCP's even though they occur on the same machine.
The products are a range of semi wet doughs, made from cassava /corn & banku mix - the products have a pH of below 4.5 - too acidic to support the growth of the Clostridium botulinum bacteria.
The products are treated with Potassium Sorbate to inhibit the growth of moulds, this has the added advantage of making the product more acidic - shouldn't the CCP be at a pH testing step before rather than at Vacuum packing though? If you're relying on pH to keep the product stable then surely this needs to be monitored?
I agree that Seal Integrity needs to be a CCP - I was wondering how you would monitor and verify the process?. Would visual checks at intervals really be enough to control the hazards - I personally don't think they would.
Anyway, all of the literature that I have read is relevant to chilled foods, and not ambient, stable products.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks In Advance.
Dee
We used a package leak detector similar to this one: https://flexpakinc.com/
It was not a CCP for our operation. We had 2 different films that were expected to maintain integrity up to a certain pressure (measured in atmospheres). There was a form that that indicated the product type, product batch number, film type, film batch number, and if the product passed or failed the test, plus corrective actions where appropriate.
The test was time consuming. Each test took 2-4 minutes (depending upon the pressure), and our customer required several test replicates. Something to keep in mind when you are setting up your testing methodology.
Seal integrity is a quality issue. If the seal is blown, no one will buy the product
as for the pH, is it altered by the addition of potassium sorbate? or is that an extra fail safe to prevent a change in pH over the shelf life?
Thank you Seanpaulrader - did you find it to be an effective method of package leak detection? I've never worked anywhere that has used one.
Thank you Scampi - E202 is added to inhibit moulds - it has the added bonus of slightly lowering the acidity. The product is already below the pH4.5 threshold however.
i would venture that monitoring the addition of the potassium sorbate would be a PC or CCP (up to you) as there are maximums on that product if i'm correct
When i worked in dairy, we did destructive seal testing. A needle attached to an airline, pierce the package, fill with air, cover hole with finger, submerge in water, watch for bubbles. Done and dusted
5 packages/30 minutes. Easy peasy
Thank you Seanpaulrader - did you find it to be an effective method of package leak detection? I've never worked anywhere that has used one.
It actually worked better as a method of determining when the wrong film had been used. Also, it helped us dial in the temperature settings when we were trialing new films, so that they stuck appropriately. All in all, it worked as intended, though Scampi's suggestion does sound cheaper and easier.
Not my area but JFI I note (FSA 2017) that for uncooked items/shelf-life > 10 days, it is required to validate that the food is safe until end of shelf-life allocated.