Cooking as PRP

Hi, currently using decision tree from FSSC Guidance Document and Cooking turns out to be a PRP since after cooking the product will move on to Drying (dehydration) which is our CCP. I haven't encountered yet that a cooking step is a not a CCP. But I believe that we have done the hazard analysis and it can prove that it is not critical. The cooking step is designed to "cook" rather than to kill microorganisms. Am I wrong or how can I prove it? Thanks.

Hi, currently using decision tree from FSSC Guidance Document and Cooking turns out to be a PRP since after cooking the product will move on to Drying (dehydration) which is our CCP. I haven't encountered yet that a cooking step is a not a CCP. But I believe that we have done the hazard analysis and it can prove that it is not critical. The cooking step is designed to "cook" rather than to kill microorganisms. Am I wrong or how can I prove it? Thanks.

Hi odeth,

Further info may assist.

Product = ?

Process = ?

How do you justify dehydration is the CCP ? eg hazard = ? control measure/critical limit  = ?

Greetings odeth andaya,

Cooking shouldn't be a PrP, since even if you don't cook to pathogen killing temperatures you still use this as a step of lowering the microbial load of the product. Dehydration itself doesn't exclude the retaining of a high enough a_w for microbial spores to germinate.

However if you are determined to prove it and keep cooking an OPrP, then I suggest sending samples from different lots/dates of products to a lab for microbiological tests on pre-cooking (basis), pre-dehydration and after dehydration to see if there is a trend, accompanied by a_w analysis to see if your process can consistently produce an environment that is not "friendly" for spore germination.

Hope it helps.

Kind regards.

Process steps are typically not PRPs although there are undoubtedly a few claimed exceptions.

My bad and thanks for the correction. It should be considered an OPrP at least, if not a CCP.

I stand by the proving method as posted above if you want to go ahead with it.

Hi odeth,

 

Further info may assist.

 

Product = ?

Process = ?

 

How do you justify dehydration is the CCP ? eg hazard = ? control measure/critical limit  = ?

Product is crisps/chips from fruit purees (very crispy product with water activity of 0.2)

Process = frozen puree, thawing (controlled environment), mixing, dumping of other ingredients (starch), cooking (60deg C for 30 mins), drying (150 deg C), cutting, cooling, packing

It is basically a process of making fruit leather but we dried it to the extent that it became crispy

Drying/Dehydration - last step, "kill step"

Hazard - biological (pathogens)

Control Measure - temperature of dryer, speed of dryer (contact time), steam pressure and temp (all are validated to attain the microbiological standards for RTE foods without affecting the sensory attributes) 

Process steps are typically not PRPs although there are undoubtedly a few claimed exceptions.

Thanks! Yes not PRP, since the process step will not have a significant hazard so it won't be in my decision tree to be considered as PRP. So can Cooking be a mere process step only in a HACCP Analysis? Is it common?

Product is crisps/chips from fruit purees (very crispy product with water activity of 0.2)

Process = frozen puree, thawing (controlled environment), mixing, dumping of other ingredients (starch), cooking (60deg C for 30 mins), drying (150 deg C), cutting, cooling, packing

It is basically a process of making fruit leather but we dried it to the extent that it became crispy

 

Drying/Dehydration - last step, "kill step"

Hazard - biological (pathogens)

Control Measure - temperature of dryer, speed of dryer (contact time), steam pressure and temp (all are validated to attain the microbiological standards for RTE foods without affecting the sensory attributes) 

Hi Odeth,

thks for info.

Product is ambient stable ?

What is the objective of 60degC/30min.? (eg why low temp/long time - Quality problems ?)(60degC is product core temp or ?)

How long is the drying step ? What temperature is reached in Product core ? (I assume 150degC is oven temp.)

"biological pathogens" is not adequate for hazard analysis. Need specifics. And critical limit for target micro.hazard?

PS - PRPs are pre-defined within fssc22000, not a result from a decision tree.

The status of yr so-called "cooking" step depends on its objective. Whether associated with no significant hazard, or an OPRP or, possibly, a combined CCP depends on the details. And same for dehydration.

Hi Odeth,

 

thks for info.

 

What is the objective of 60degC/30min.? (eg why low temp/long time - Quality problems ?) - objective is just to "cook" and break down starches; more on food quality

 

How long is the drying step ? What temperature is reached in Product core ? (I assume 150degC is oven temp.) - Drying step is short time, around 45 seconds only since the product is around 1-2mm thick only (product temp) is also 150C (It's like a potato chips thin), the 150C is not an Oven temp but a drum dryer temp (our product is flattened between two heated rolling drum dryers which basically give me a thin sheet of product that is totally dried)

 

Basically, if the product does not solidify and not cripsy, we can not sell it to the market. All Finished Goods passed micro requirements and shelf life stability has been validated.

 

Hi Odeth,

 

thks for info.

 

What is the objective of 60degC/30min.? (eg why low temp/long time - Quality problems ?) - objective is just to "cook" and break down starches; more on food quality

 

How long is the drying step ? What temperature is reached in Product core ? (I assume 150degC is oven temp.) - Drying step is short time, around 45 seconds only since the product is around 1-2mm thick only (product temp) is also 150C (It's like a potato chips thin), the 150C is not an Oven temp but a drum dryer temp (our product is flattened between two heated rolling drum dryers which basically give me a thin sheet of product that is totally dried)

 

Basically, if the product does not solidify and not cripsy, we can not sell it to the market. All Finished Goods passed micro requirements and shelf life stability has been validated.

 

Hi odeth,

I assume you have some pathogenic hazards like Salmonella, Bacillus spp, L.mono.

Offhand sounds like yr "cook" step is just a "process" step from a safety POV. Yr so-called drying step sounds more like a CCP due thermal elimination of vegetative pathogens (Salmonella, L.mono). However short time maybe gives insufficient lethality to eliminate some sporing species like Bacillus spp. (needs calculation). This will also interact with yr subsequent cooling stage.

I deduce you have not yet proposed a critical limit for the Drying step.