2. Hazard analysis .
In order to establish the safety of sous
vide products, a hazard analysis must be
undertaken at each stage of a product’s
transition from raw ingredients to finished
product and distribution. Hazard
analysis has been defined as ‘any system
which analyses the significance of a
hazard to consumer safety or product
acceptability’ (Thorpe and Leaper 1988).
A hazard has been defined as a ‘potential
to cause harm to the consumer (safety) or
the product (spoilage)’ (Thorpe and
Leaper 1988). Since the hazard analysis
must cover the entire flow process diagram
it should be conducted by a team
with expertise in procurement of raw
materials, food processing operations,
food packaging, food microbiology, food
chemistry, toxicology, quality assurance
and regulatory affairs. The objectives of
the hazard analysis are: (a) to identify all
the potential food hazards, specifically
microbiological hazards, which are a
threat to consumer safety, (b) to identify
potentially hazardous foods or ingredients,
and (cl to identify the process points
in the sous vide process where a potential
mirobiological hazard may exist (ICMSF
1988, Peterson and Gunnerson 1974).
Each of these parts of the hazard analysis
will be briefly reviewed.
(a) Identification of food hazards
The major categories of food hazards
associated with food processing are summarized
in Table 2 (Stauffer 1988). While
the HACCP evaluation is intended to
address all potential physical, chemical
and microbiological hazards which
compromise product safety, microbiological
hazards (specifically food borne pathogens)
pose the greatest threat to con
Receipt of raw materials (meat, vegetables. spices, packaging
materials)
Transfer to controlled storage
Controlled storage
Transfer to production area
Formulation of raw ingredients
Transfer to filling area
Delay prior to filling/during filling
Filling/vacuum packaging of product
Transfer to retort
Filling of retort
Pasteurization/cooling of product
Removal of product from retort
Transfer to cooling area
Rapid cooling of product
Transfer to labelling area
Delay prior to/during labelling due to product
buildup
Labeling
Fig. 3. A flow process diagram for a sous vide processed meat/pasta product.