Useful Microbiological Testing in Food Safety & Quality Management

1. Useful Microbiological Testing in Food Safety & Quality Management Vice President Food Safety Ecolab President-Elect IAFP Katherine M.J. Swanson, Ph.D. Arkansas Association for Food Protection Springdale, AR September 14, 2011

2. Discussion Topics • International Association for Food Protection greeting • Different tests serve different purposes • Testing for maximum value

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12. Different Tests Serve Different Purposes

13. OR Microbial Testing • “Microbial testing” means different things to different people • Reams of data • Detective game to identify unknown or causative agent • Presence/absence or qualitative reaction that’s observed • Quantitative measurement of the microbiological status of a sample or lot Presentation focuses on process control and product acceptance

14. The Purpose of a Test Determines:

15. International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods • Founded in 1962 to advance scientific concepts for government and industry consideration to: • Reduce foodborne illness • Facilitate global food trade • Focus on testing applied to foods • Membership • 6 Academia, 6 Government, 5 Industry from 11 Countries • All work is voluntary and without honoraria • Partners with FAO, WHO, ILSI, IUFoST, IAFP etc. • Provides advice through books, papers, workshops, etc. • Advice has no official status

16. When & Where to Test for Food Safety Management • When there is good evidence that: • There is a microbiological problem • Food safety or quality • Historical or current AND • Testing will help to control the problem

17. Target Organism Examples ICMSF Hazard Categories From ICMSF Book 7

18. Key ICMSF Sampling Plan Terms

19. Choosing m and M M m No concern Some concern Decisive concern Relative proportion of sample units in a lot Mean log count

20. Analytical unit = 25g ICMSF Suggested Sampling Plans FOR LOT ACCEPTANCE TESTING

21. Sample Size Influence on Probability of Acceptance m = 0 86% 74% 55% 1%

22. Testing to Maximize Value

23. Useful Microbial Testing • Identification of contamination sources • Environmental monitoring to identify potential harborage sites • Utility and indicator organisms to verify effective controls & trends • Effective processing • Effective control of post process contamination • Investigation sampling for problem solving

24. Process Example Process 1 Packaging Line A Ingredients Process 2 Packaging Line B Process 3 What action do you take when an unacceptable result is found on Line B?

25. Result Format Influences Information Provided Positive Negative

26. 5 5 4 4 3 3 Log (CFU/g) Log (CFU/g) 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 10 20 0 10 20 Lot Number Lot Number 5 5 4 4 3 Log (CFU/g) 3 2 Log (CFU/g) 2 1 1 0 0 10 20 0 Lot Number 0 10 20 Lot Number Trend Analysis Can Inform Process Control

27. Testing Considerations • Primary production • Ingredients • In-process • Processing environment • Shelf life • End product Anticipated July 2011

28. Part 1-Principles Utility of microbial testing for safety & quality Validation of control measures Verification of process control Verification of environmental control Corrective action to re-establish control Microbial testing in customer-supplier relationships Part 2 – Product Categories Meats Poultry Seafood Feed & pet food Vegetables Fruits Spices, dried soups, flavorings Cereals Nuts, oilseeds, dried legumes Cocoa and confectionery Oil based foods Sugar, syrups, honey Beverages Water Dairy products Eggs Shelf stable, heat treated foods Infants and young children Formulated foods Book 8 Contents

29. Primary Production • Included when production conditions have a major influence on the microbial quality or safety • Fruits, vegetables, spices, meat, poultry and fish products • Examples of samples to consider • Irrigation water • Fertilizer • Feed • Other on-farm practices

30. Ingredient Testing • May be useful for some applications and not others • Example - cocoa powder: • Used in chocolate, no heat treatment • Used in ice cream mix that is subsequently pasteurized • Question • Is control at the ingredient step necessary?

31. In-Process Testing • Verify a kill step or predict potential re-contamination • Examples • Intermediate product, line residues, tailings, wash water • Typically indicators with quantitative results • Questions: • Is the process needed to control a microbial concern? • Is testing needed to verify: • the process is functioning as intended or • contamination is not occurring in the process?

32. Processing Environment Testing • Use to verify that the environment is under appropriate hygienic control • Examples • Swabs or sponges for equipment or in the environment • Rapid testing to verify cleaning & sanitation adequacy • Identify harborage sites that can contaminate end product • Frequently, earlier detection of issues than end product testing • Questions considered: • Does the environment need to be controlled to prevent contamination? • Will testing be beneficial to verify control?

33. Shelf Life Testing • Relevant for products subject to microbial spoilage • Purpose – verify microbial stability for the product life cycle • May predict issue before they are experienced in the market place • Questions considered: • Is shelf life limited by a microbiological safety or quality concern? • Is shelf-life testing feasible?

34. End Product Testing • Demonstrate successful application of controls or assess the status of a lot when no other information exists. • Alternative sampling plans may be appropriate, for example: • Fewer samples for on-going surveillance activity • More samples when investigating significant process deviations or outbreaks. • Questions considered: • Is end product testing necessary to verify the overall manufacturing process? • Is end product testing relied upon for ensuring the safety or quality of the lot?

35. Example: Dried Ready-to-Eat Cereal

36. Example: Dried Ready-to-Eat Cereal(continued)

37. Example: Comminuted Meat

38. Example: Comminuted Meat(continued)

39. Microbial Sampling Summary • Testing safety “into” products usually does not work because of sampling probability • Testing is recommended to generate meaningful data • Impact quality or safety • Verify appropriate controls or direct corrective action • Focus on verification of process control preferred • Environmental monitoring • Selected sampling tailored to the line to verify control

40. Dr.MartinCole, CSIRO, Australia (Chair) Dr.Fumiko Kasuga, National Institute of Health, Japan (Secretary) Dr. Jeff Farber, Health Canada (Treasurer) Dr. Wayne Anderson, Ireland Food Safety Authority Dr. Lucia Anelich, Consumer Goods Council, South Africa Dr. Robert Buchanan, University of Maryland, United States Dr.Jean-Louis Cordier, Nestle, Switzerland Dr. Ratih Dewanti, Bangalore Agricultural University, Indonesia Dr. Russ Flowers, Silliker Group, United States Dr. Bernadette Franco, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil Dr.Leon Gorris, Unilever, China Dr.Anna Lammerding, Public Health Agency, Canada Dr. Xiumei Liu, CDC China Dr. Tom Ross, University of Tasmania,, Australia Dr. Katie Swanson, Ecolab, UnitedStates Dr. Marta Taniwaki, Instituto de Tecnologia de Alimentos, Brazil Dr. Marcel Zwietering Wageningen University, The Netherland Acknowledgements ICMSF

41. Reference • www.slideshare.com