Jump to content

  • Quick Navigation
Photo

Microbiology what levels are too high in seeds used in bakery?

Share this

  • You cannot start a new topic
  • Please log in to reply
2 replies to this topic
- - - - -

Gilles

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 82 posts
  • 11 thanks
1
Neutral

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male

Posted 21 November 2016 - 03:13 PM

Hello all,

 

I work in a seed packing and sorting plant. the seeds are intended for the bakery industry, so like sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.

Currently I am busy with renewing all our specification and I noticed that our microbiological limits are all over the place.

I want to standardize the limits but because there are no legal limits and the products need to be heated, I find it hard to find good limits.

 

Here is an example of the micro limits for sesame seeds:

  • Aerobic Plate Count: 1.000.000 cfu/g
  • Entrobacteriaceae: 100.000 cfu/g
  • E.Colli: 100 cfu/g
  • Moulds: 5.000 cfu/g
  • Yeasts: 5.000 cfu/g
  • Salmonella: absent in 25 gr
  • Staphylococcus aureus: 10 cfu/g
  • Bacillus cereus: 1.000 cfu/g
  • Coliforms: 10.000 cfu/g

 

At what levels would something become harmful for our customer.

Is there some standard that, for example, E-coli 1000 cfu/g increases the change of illness significantly?



brianweber

    Brian

  • IFSQN Senior
  • 293 posts
  • 114 thanks
31
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
  • Interests:Cheese, Coffee, Golf, Scrabble, Food Safety, HACCP, BBQing

Posted 21 November 2016 - 03:25 PM

This was interesting to read. HERE


Brian


Charles.C

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Moderator
  • 20,542 posts
  • 5662 thanks
1,544
Excellent

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male
  • Interests:SF
    TV
    Movies

Posted 22 November 2016 - 05:57 AM

Hello all,

 

I work in a seed packing and sorting plant. the seeds are intended for the bakery industry, so like sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds etc.

Currently I am busy with renewing all our specification and I noticed that our microbiological limits are all over the place.

I want to standardize the limits but because there are no legal limits and the products need to be heated, I find it hard to find good limits.

 

Here is an example of the micro limits for sesame seeds:

  • Aerobic Plate Count: 1.000.000 cfu/g  - Not directly safety related.
  • Entrobacteriaceae: 100.000 cfu/g - Not directly safety related.
  • E.Coli: 100 cfu/g - Not usually regarded as safety related. unless a pathogenic species is specified, (eg E.coli O157)
  • (1) Moulds: 5.000 cfu/g - Might be indirectly safety Related, eg via mycotoxins. Legal limits for mycotoxins depend on  location**. Similarly limits for mould itself.
  • Yeasts: 5.000 cfu/g - Not usually safety related afaik.
  • (2) Salmonella: absent in 25 gr - safety Related. Legal limit is usually zero.
  • (3) Staphylococcus aureus: 10 cfu/g - indirectly safety related (via toxin). High Risk* if S.aureus COP > 10^4 cfu/gram
  • (4) Bacillus cereus: 1.000 cfu/g - indirectly safety related (via toxin). High Risk* if B.cereus  > 10^4 cfu/gram
  • Coliforms: 10.000 cfu/g - Not directly safety related.

 

At what levels would something become harmful for our customer.

Is there some standard that, for example, E-coli 1000 cfu/g increases the change of illness significantly?

 

Hi Dongilles,

 

I presume the spec. is before any heating.

approx. half of spec. is related to safety IMO.

* taken from UK/HPA micro.guidelines for RTE foods

** eg see -

http://www.ifst.org/...ents/mycotoxins

 

These random sesame links may also be of some interest (many more on the Net)-

 

http://www.accuragro...al-sesame-seeds

http://www.ifsqn.com...eds/#entry40762


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C




Share this

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users