5 replies to this topic

[Twinkle]

Hi 

 

Trust everyone is well

 

A customer of ours has requested for us to use freeze dried meat in his spice premixes.

 

Please assist with what are the risks using this freeze dried meat. Also note we can not add a Oxygen absorber to the finished product line as we do not have a packing machine that can double pack.

 

Would I need to do micro tests for every batch we manufacture and only release once results are clear?

 

Apologies, I have never worked with meat or Freeze dried meat before.

 

Will appreciate the assistance.

 

Thanks

[Scampi]

Did said meat go through a kill step prior to being freeze dried?  That may determine your next steps

[SQFconsultant]

Is an outside supplier providing the freezed dried product or must you handle the actual process?

 

We have a client that we helped to achieve SQF Certification and they have a rather large freeze dry operation for dog treats and bulk for other packagers and the biggest issues were moisture and absorbers.

 

Their absorber is actually built into the top of the lid.

[Brothbro]

What scampi asks is important, because usually freeze-drying does not reach temperatures that are capable of killing any notable bacteria. It also doesn't reach high enough to really cook the meat though, so I would assume that it does get pre-cooked. Because freeze-dried raw meat sounds...interesting. It sounds like you're purchasing the freeze-dried meat as a ready-made ingredient. If so, important things to consider:

 

- How does your supplier handle their meat processing? The meat will need to be cooked before freeze-drying, they will need to have the standard meat processing controls in place (raw/finished separation, time/temp controls for cooking, robust sanitation program). The supplier needs to prove to you that they are capable of processing meat safely.

 

- The finished freeze-dried product will be very susceptible to moisture, it will need to be stored in a manner that protects it from the humid environment. Water activity testing will be useful to verify the shelf stability. 

 

- Your supplier should have a micro testing plan but you should also be performing micro analysis on your own product. The microbes you test for should be based on a hazard analysis of the material

[Twinkle]

What scampi asks is important, because usually freeze-drying does not reach temperatures that are capable of killing any notable bacteria. It also doesn't reach high enough to really cook the meat though, so I would assume that it does get pre-cooked. Because freeze-dried raw meat sounds...interesting. It sounds like you're purchasing the freeze-dried meat as a ready-made ingredient. If so, important things to consider:

 

- How does your supplier handle their meat processing? The meat will need to be cooked before freeze-drying, they will need to have the standard meat processing controls in place (raw/finished separation, time/temp controls for cooking, robust sanitation program). The supplier needs to prove to you that they are capable of processing meat safely.

 

- The finished freeze-dried product will be very susceptible to moisture, it will need to be stored in a manner that protects it from the humid environment. Water activity testing will be useful to verify the shelf stability. 

 

- Your supplier should have a micro testing plan but you should also be performing micro analysis on your own product. The microbes you test for should be based on a hazard analysis of the material

 

 

Hi, thanks for helping

A customer is buying the meat already freeze dried from a butchery and supplying it to us

According to storage conditions - no freezing is required for storing, however I do Know that once oxygen does come into contact, oxidation will occur. 

[Brothbro]

Hi, thanks for helping

A customer is buying the meat already freeze dried from a butchery and supplying it to us

According to storage conditions - no freezing is required for storing, however I do Know that once oxygen does come into contact, oxidation will occur. 

 

Ok, sounds like you're buying the meat already freeze-dried then. I would make sure to run this supplier through your supplier approval program to understand their facility. Give the higher risk of raw meat processing it may be prudent to find out who the original butcher shop is in this case as well. Finally, you should be micro testing this material when it's received by your facility. I wouldn't simply rely on a CoA saying it's clean for a new material like this, it's best to generate some data of your own. 

 

You are correct that freeze-dried foods do not need to be kept refrigerated or frozen. Just make sure that they're kept in a low-humidity room that isn't too hot (something like 68F is fine). The bulk material should be stored in a moisture-resistant material like a good plastic bag which is tightly sealed.