Destemming & UV Tunnel
Hi
Before I start I know my thoughts on this but I was hoping to get some other thoughts and advice.
We are a high care prep facility for chopped fruit. Our current process for example is grapes are devined by hand, wash in a grape bath with chemicals then enter the high care side into trays ready to put into pots.
Currently operations have just gone off as we having a big project for automation, so as said they have gone out as they know best purchased a desteming machine to mechanically remove the grapes form the stem they they will go through a UV tunnel. So what are people thoughts and do you see a problem with this as I may need some help.
If I can give more info let me know
Cheers
What's the end use? For example, a lot of the grapes you buy in store still bunched comes with notes for the users to wash before consuming. But you're saying you're a cut fruit facility, so I'm guessing you're packing grapes in tray offerings. I would be uncomfortable with deleting the wash step entirely. I don't know enough about UV tunnels to have a helpful insight, but I'd speculate you'll end up with a bunch of dirty grapes that have been "sanitized" via UV.
Probably sounds great to one of your execs, "Sanitize without water!" But the grapes are still dirty to begin with.
Hi astro,
Removing the washing stage and replacing it with UV would concern me as well.
UV works well on flat surfaces that are close to the light so for example flat packaging such as foil lids.
The problem with UV is the proximity and shadowing, I have experienced these problems on a new production line and in the end the project switched to a rinse.
My question would be how is the UV tunnel set up to ensure that all parts of the fruit receive UV coverage at the right intensity to kill the microbes of concern?
Kind regards,
Tony
I agree with previous comments on UV having limitations.
I have to admit though I have some reservations too about destemming first before decontamination steps. Admittedly I've not worked in grapes but I'd imagine the number of damaged fruits after destemming could put pathogens in contact with a surface it's difficult to clean off (i.e. where the stem joined) and some grapes will be actually oozing juice there providing a food source. Gut feel and gut feel alone, I'd like to use a water bath using appropriate disinfectant chemicals then destem after it.
BUT it has to be said, those wash processes are MUCH less effective than you think. 1-2 log reduction is often the best you'll get. And if you can overcome shadowing, UV is pretty effective against viruses which are probably a pretty high risk on your product. If you could incorporate a washing process AND UV that would be better. But I'd max out whatever you do on the validation.
I have to admit though I have some reservations too about destemming first before decontamination steps.
Interesting you say that GMO, I had someone who worked in one of my NPD teams that did some research on where to do the washing step in the process of preparing produce.
Are you saying that de-stemming after washing is better based on any scientific evidence? if so please post a link.
Kind regards,
Tony
Interesting you say that GMO, I had someone who worked in one of my NPD teams that did some research on where to do the washing step in the process of preparing produce.
Are you saying that de-stemming after washing is better based on any scientific evidence? if so please post a link.
Kind regards,
Tony
No it's purely gut feel, and, I suppose thinking of the toffee apple Listeria outbreak where pathogens either from the surface or from the stick then grew like billy-o once it came in contact with the juice from breaking the surface. I am fond of grapes personally and when removing the stem, it does feel that the skin breaks on a relatively frequent basis. That skin breaking as well will put juice into whatever equipment you're using to decontaminate either using up the disinfectant or creating great growth conditions (or both).
But yep, just based on gut feel. If you have any papers from your ex-colleague or ones they know of, I'd be interested and I'm sure the OP would be too.
JFrey123
Just to give abit more context.
End use is RTE use which will be a mixed fruit pot.
Tony C.
UV totally will go around the whole surface - it is full of UV and Tubes.
GMO
There is a grading belt after the destemer so any bust up grapes or squashed will be removed before UV.
We used to have a bath where we did the washing. I have raised my concern and said I will not sign this off from a Tech aspect but they will go ahead anyway. We are looking to do Strawberries and blueberries and I have said that UV alone will not do everything. Yes micro but what about dirt, soil, insects, Pesticides and from the grapes they are covered with a Sulpher pad less than 10PPM but there is still a risk.
I wasn't meaning "bust up" or "squashed" but just the tiniest break of the skin. Leading to a small amount of juice coming into contact with the surface of the grape and pathogens being able to ingress beyond the surface.
Am I overthinking this?
I would not fully delete the wash step. I'm also in fresh cut produce and our grapes are DUSTY sometime depending on the season. They're also prone to mold spores in every crevice imaginable. So UV sounds great but you still get dusty grimy grapes. We destem then wash then pack. We keep looking at the UV processes but it doesn't seem as reliable for our products as our regualr wash system to get the 2 log reduction. I have seen the auto destemmers in use compared to our hand picking and I'm jealous though!
veruca
JFrey123
Just to give abit more context.
End use is RTE use which will be a mixed fruit pot.
[snip]
There is a grading belt after the destemer so any bust up grapes or squashed will be removed before UV.
We used to have a bath where we did the washing. I have raised my concern and said I will not sign this off from a Tech aspect but they will go ahead anyway. We are looking to do Strawberries and blueberries and I have said that UV alone will not do everything. Yes micro but what about dirt, soil, insects, Pesticides and from the grapes they are covered with a Sulpher pad less than 10PPM but there is still a risk.
I'd start looking for a new job. Not only are they overriding you, but they're also omitting the wash from your HACCP plan and moving to a UV tunnel that isn't validated and isn't part of your HACCP flow. Washing after destemming also helps remove the bits of stems that the destemmer doesn't capture, washing also controls the FM from stems, insects/webbing, dirt/dust, etc.
They're violating the SOP's that keep your consumers and your company safe, and they're even adding other fruits. Good luck to your owners getting UV to hit every aspect of the rough textured strawberries as they pass through.
I wasn't meaning "bust up" or "squashed" but just the tiniest break of the skin. Leading to a small amount of juice coming into contact with the surface of the grape and pathogens being able to ingress beyond the surface.
Am I overthinking this?
Maybe a bit. Any time you've altered the fruit itself and plan to package it in a plastic pot as OP describes, you're going to have to add a preservative solution to keep pathogens at bay for the shelf life of the fruit. And cut fruit has a very short shelf life once you've processed it just from a quality perspective: most cut fruit gets squishy and unappetizing to look at very quickly.
Hi
Thanks for all your comments.
I did a wash and UV testing on TVC and got a log reduction of 1.5 - 2 Log.
I have been in discussion with Technical & Scientific experts and they tell me the same that a wash is required however just TVC validation is not enough to validate the kill process. Need to do some challenge testing with pathogens to see a reduction and validation which has to be completed in a Class II lab with a cost of approx 10K. WOW WEE cant really see the business going for this.
Previous work (Validations) on the washing process CCP was done by TVC & Ent and has nothing been raise on audits
1-2 logs is typical for a washing process. It's also typical to use indicator organisms. I'd ensure though that for validation purposes that you have evidence from the manufacturer of the UV and / or washing chemical processes that it's capable of killing pathogens and over what dwell time.
Although the concept of "validating" when you're potentially taking c. 100 Listeria cfu g-1 to 10 cfu g-1 does feel a little like it's not doing a great deal... It would be great if you could wash and use the UV tunnel. Might get more shelf life too.
Would you or do I need to look at costly challenge testing for pathogens or if I did a prep micro sample and a post and look at TVC and Ent will be enough. Now the Technical & Scientific experts say I do and want to charge me 10K but speaking to the lab I use they say as long as i can show a log reduction in the process on TVC and Ents this would be ok as I have data on our monthly samples which check for pathogens etc prove my prerequisites are working.
Thoughts welcome
I can think of no other plant where they're doing a challenge test on something like that. I would get data from the manufacturer about the UV, that the wavelength is effective against pathogens of concern. I'd do testing to make sure there wasn't shadowing and I'd use indicator organisms.
How is it different in a way to cleaning equipment and validating that. Would you do a challenge test? I wouldn't. People doing cooking processes through ovens don't routinely do challenge tests either.