Food Safety Magazine, February/March 2012

MICROBIOLOGYProcess step or areaLikely hazardSource or contaminationevent/vector(s)Control measure(s)Operating limit(s)Control measure(s)Control verification(s)Corrective action(s)RecordsMilk spray dryingSalmonellaRemoval, cleaning and reinsertion ofmilk spraying nozzles• Dryer processing area air filtered to 95% removal of 1.0-µm particles• Gloves are worn by operative to remove nozzles• Nozzles and support wand removed and replaced by alcoholdecontaminatedblanking plate• Nozzles cleaned and kept in QAC until reuse• Glove and sleeve change by operative at point of insertion• Nozzle wand CIP process• ATP assessments of wand and/or nozzle cleanliness• Use of dedicated tools• Alcohol decontamination of gloves, blanking plate and wand• Blanking plate removal and nozzle insertion• Tamperproof tag installedATP < 150 RLUVisual assessment of the removal and reinsertion operationATP assessment of the cleaned wand and nozzleOccasional microbiological verification of wand and nozzle cleaning• Put on hold any potentially affected product.• Determine the need for spray dryer to be decontaminated.• Investigate the cause of the problem and take appropriate action.• Staff retraining• Review of wand and nozzle decontamination procedures• Dryer intervention record including correct observation ofremoval and insertion procedure• Post-decontamination ATP and microbiological records• Tamperproof identity tag numberTable 3: Operational prerequisite program (OPRP) managementtable as adapted from classical CCP management.acceptable level, for example, cooking of a meat patty, coolingof a sauce or running a liquid product through a screen of definedparticle size. On the other hand, OPRPs are generally describedfor procedures or programs that address some aspect ofthe processing environment or the interaction of the processingenvironment with the process, for example, the manual removal,cleaning and reinsertion of milk spray nozzles into thespray dryer during a production run.A Developing StudyThe concept of identifying sources and vectors of cross-contamination,assessing their risk and managing their risk throughOPRPs in a fashion similar as CCPs is a developing study.Elevating the control of sources and vectors to the level ofOPRPs and managing them similar to CCPs focuses attentionon the control of what is thought to be the highest risk of crosscontaminationfrom the processing environment to the product.Controlling sources and vectors by developing and documentingOPRPs as discussed in this article may provide a means todemonstrate increased confidence in product safety should apathogen be found in the manufacturing environment.Taken beyond microbiological hazards,the same source-and-vector approach may beused to evaluate and control nonmicrobiologicalhazards, such as allergens or foreignmaterial. As these are developing concepts,comments are welcomed as to how they canbe improved.nJohn Holah, Ph.D., is an applied microbiologist workingboth in food factories and the laboratory and is responsiblefor food hygiene at Campden BRI.Edyta Margas is a hygiene and novel technologiesspecialist at Campden BRI.Robert Hagberg is the director of QA technical servicesat Land O’Lakes, Inc.Benjamin Warren, Ph.D., is the director of productsafety & regulatory affairs at Land O’Lakes, Inc.Judy Fraser-Heaps is the senior manager of QA, microbiology& food safety at Land O’Lakes, Inc.Sara Mortimore is the vice president of quality & regulatoryaffairs at Land O’Lakes, Inc.References1. www.cdc.gov/print.do?url=http%3A//www.cdc.gov/salmonella/agona.2. Jackson, K.A., M. Biggerstaff, M. Tobin-D’Angelo,D. Sweat, R. Klos, J. Nosari, O. Garrison, E. Boothe, L.Saathoff-Huber, L. Hainstock and R.P. Fagan. 2011.Multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes associatedwith Mexican-style cheese made from pasteurizedmilk among pregnant, Hispanic women. J FoodProt 74: 949–953.3. Gaze, R. 2009. HACCP: A practical guide (fourth edition). Campden BRI,Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, UK.4. www.codexalimentarius.net.5. www.mygfsi.com.6. Middleton, K.E. and J.T. Holah. 2008. Cleaning and disinfection of foodfactories: A practical guide. Campden BRI, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire,UK.7. George, R.M. 2004. Foreign bodies in foods: Guidelines for their prevention,control and detection (second edition). Campden BRI, Chipping Campden,Gloucestershire, UK.8. Smith, D. 2009. Hand hygiene: Guidelines for best practice. CampdenBRI, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, UK.9. www.bcas.org.uk.10. www.cieh.org.11. Anon. 2005. ISO 22000:2005 Food Safety management systems —Requirements for any organization in the food chain.12. Smith, D. 2007. Ranking of cross-contamination vectors of ready-to-eatfoods: A practical approach. Campden BRI, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire,UK.13. Lamb, H. 1994. Hydrodynamics (6th edition). Cambridge UniversityPress.F E B R U A R Y n M A R C H 2 0 1 2 61