Pasteurised egg micro
Hi Guys, we pack pasteurized egg and do initial micro (upon exiting pasteurizer) to prove that we have reduced micro to acceptable levels. I had a customer who tested our product some 4 -6 days after we sent it to them, mind you our micro results are based on when product exits the pasteurizer so, the results they got were twice what we get when our product exits the pasteurizer at day 1. We normally urge our customers to do sensory evaluation only as micro is tricky for products such as milk, egg as you may get high counts but sensory still ok. Anyone ever been in this situation or have some end of shelf-life results for pasteurized liquid whole egg, or is it best to rely on sensory only for such products???
Hello, after packaging and distribution, microbial activity can naturally increase due to storage conditions, temperature fluctuations, or handling, so higher values found by the customer on day 4–6 do not necessarily indicate a production issue. In pasteurized egg products (just like milk or other low-acid foods), microbial counts may increase over time while the product still remains sensorily acceptable—meaning it still smells, looks, and tastes fine. This is often because the growth consists of non-pathogenic organisms in levels that do not yet affect product quality. That’s why many quality control programs rely more on sensory evaluation toward the end of shelf life, rather than solely on microbial counts—unless specifically testing for pathogens like Salmonella or Listeria....Could you try testing this product at the end of its shelf life, both microbiologically and sensorily, and establish acceptable parameters?
So....
When you set the SL you did both organoleptic and micro testing to establish the limits? ie 7 days ...
Are the customers results with spec or OOS?
Or is the customer stating that they want to reject due to the micro levels....
With regards to your testing, the results you have are after bagged/cartooned so it the same as the customer as they may be cross contamination/additional counts from transfer pipework/nozzles/carton counts....
Best to test the FP at the same stage as the customer would recieve.
We have recently had multiple issues with "blown" packaging... and off smells... so not sure if this is a wider issue or just from one supplier.
I know that one supplier in 2023/2024 had to condemn there pasteuriser as was not working correctly....(BASED IN THE UK)
Hello, after packaging and distribution, microbial activity can naturally increase due to storage conditions, temperature fluctuations, or handling, so higher values found by the customer on day 4–6 do not necessarily indicate a production issue. In pasteurized egg products (just like milk or other low-acid foods), microbial counts may increase over time while the product still remains sensorily acceptable—meaning it still smells, looks, and tastes fine. This is often because the growth consists of non-pathogenic organisms in levels that do not yet affect product quality. That’s why many quality control programs rely more on sensory evaluation toward the end of shelf life, rather than solely on microbial counts—unless specifically testing for pathogens like Salmonella or Listeria....Could you try testing this product at the end of its shelf life, both microbiologically and sensorily, and establish acceptable parameters?
Thanks for this, really helpful in addressing it all. To answer your question, it has been quite difficult to establish limits in terms of micro as the counts tend to be hap-hazard. I have previously asked other contacts in the same field as we are; they also don't have end of life limits in terms of APC/SPC. For pathogenic bacteria e.g. Salmonella/listeria yes, we do have a zero tolerance