Implementation of a food safety management system according to ISO 22000 in the food supplement industry: A case study

This work aims to present a methodology to carry out hazard and control measures assessments to properly establish operational prerequisite programmes (oPRPs) and the HACCP plan in the food supplement industry according to the ISO 22000 standard. This study focused on the manufacture of propolis, royal jelly and vitamin C ampoules, sold as energy boosters. Seven of the 13 hazards identified in this study were significant: two hazards were in the reception step (residues of pesticides, antibiotics and/or heavy metals (code 2) and contamination by pathogens (code 3)), two in the ingredients weighing step (cross-contamination by metabisulphite (code 9) and contamination by pathogens (code 10)), one in the mixture preparation step (contamination by pathogens and/or proliferation of microorganisms (code 11)) and two in the ampoule-filling and -sealing step (cross-contamination by metabisulphite (code 12) and contamination by pathogens (code 13)). After assessing the control measures, critical control points (CCPs) were determined in the hazards with codes 2, 9 and 12, which could be managed by an HACCP plan. The remaining hazards were managed by establishing oPRPs. Implementation of the ISO 22000 standard in the food supplement industry guarantees food safety and helps improve their competitiveness in the global market.     

HACCP-based food quality control and rapid detection methods for microorganisms

Foodborne disease is one of the most widespread problems of the contemporary world. Numerous microbiological hazards and risks are associated with different areas of the food industry. The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) concept is a systematic approach to ensuring food safety. The implementation of an HACCP system is closely connected with microbiological quality control. Rapid microbiological methods are being extensively developed. The methods are based on several different principles of direct or indirect detection of microbes. In the HACCP system, these methods can be used when the system is developed, implemented and maintained. Successful combination of the HACCP programme and rapid microbiological methods may help the industry to find new ways of obtaining reliable results more efficiently and of ensuring food safety.     

Implementation of traceability and food safety systems (HACCP) under the ISO 22000:2005 standard in North Africa: The case study of an ice cream company in Algeria

Our study aims at establishing and implementing the HACCP and traceability system, in an integrated approach, of ice cream processing in order to control food borne safety hazards, to minimize the production and distribution of unsafe or poor quality products, thereby the potential food safety risks and associated food recalls. Internal information capture points were identified in ice cream process and the corresponding traceability information to be recorded were determined. Biological, physical, chemical and allergens hazards that could emerge at each stage of the production were identified. After hazards identification, the critical control points (CCPs) and operational prerequisites programs (oPRPs) were selected using a decision tree. Results showed that cleaning-in-place, filtration, pasteurization, cooling storage and transport stages were the critical control points identified. Critical limits, monitoring methods and frequency, responsibilities and corrective actions of the processes are also presented. Finally, the impact of implementation of food safety system (HACCP) on aerobic plate count (APC) and coliforms in vanilla, strawberry and chocolate flavoured ice cream was investigated. The results of HACCP adoption showed the reduction of APC in all flavours of the ice cream samples tested, being higher for the strawberry from 4.18 ± 3.03 till 3.80 ± 2.71 log CFU/g. Besides, a significant decrease of coliforms from 2.39 ± 1.76 till 2.11 ± 1.42 and 2.54 ± 1.62 till 2.02 ± 1.15 log CFU/g was observed in ice cream samples with a chocolate and strawberry flavour, respectively. In conclusion, the implementation of traceability and HACCP system, under the ISO 22000 standard has allowed tracking and tracing of ice cream products improving the microbiological quality of the ice creams.     

Implication of food safety measures on microbiological quality of raw and pasteurized milk

The effects of implementing food safety measures including pre-requisite programs (PRPs) and/or Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) on the microbiological quality of raw and pasteurized milk during four years was investigated in one of the biggest diary plant in Serbia. On the dairy farm, the measures included training of farmers, investments in the infrastructure of gathering points for the collection of raw milk and transportation, improvement of hygiene and decrease of the number of small farmers. As a result of these measures, the contribution of raw milk with of lower total plate count (TPC) in total raw milk quantity decreased over time.As a result of HACCP system implementation in the dairy plant, TPC of pasteurized milk decreased from 3.32 ± 0.48 till 3.11 ± 0.30 log CFU/ml. Eight months after HACCP system was implemented, a significant decrease in TPC from 3.11 ± 0.30 till 2.18 ± 0.54 log CFU/ml in pasteurized milk which could be related to the additional investments covering pasteurisation unit and automated cleaning and disinfection system. The research confirmed constrains of a solely HACCP system without adequate PRPs.Food safety improvements through PRPs and HACCP both on farm level and in the dairy plant present a basis for the production of dairy products.     

Activities,motives and external factors influencing food safety management system adoption in Malaysia

This study was conducted in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia to examine the characteristics of food companies, their food safety improvement activities, motives and external factors that influenced their decision on implementing the Malaysian food safety system (MeSTI). The study employs a survey questionnaire which was distributed to the respondents during food safety seminars, workshops and meetings. A total of 89 completed questionnaires were returned. The results indicated that the main motive for adopting a food safety system was to improve product quality, while external factors influencing food safety adoption was consumer awareness of food safety and the intension of industry to increase customer confidence. The results of the study suggest that, compared with perceptions toward food safety, there is significant difference in the motives to improve product quality, lowering the risk of compromising food safety and extending their market to foreign country among different groups in the food industry. The external factors influencing food safety adoption exhibit significant differences among the groups of perceptions in increasing customer confidence.     

Critical success factors affecting the implementation of halal food management systems: Perspective of halal executives,consultants and auditors

The provision of halal certified food is important for both Muslims consumers as well as halal food manufacturers in Malaysia. Nevertheless, there are still lots of consumers’ complaints resulted from the partial implementation of Malaysia halal standard (MS1500:2009) by these food manufacturers. Hence, critical factors affecting the implementation of halal standard need to be identified and examined as an initial step in fostering its implementation. To date, only limited empirical research is available on the implementation of halal food management system (based on MS1500:2009) especially amongst the small and medium enterprise (SME). Therefore, this study seeks to identify critical factors for effective implementation of halal food management system in SMEs. Using a qualitative approach, fifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with halal executives, consultants and auditors from Malaysian/local halal authority. The recorded interviews were transcribed, translated, coded, and reconciled. Atlas.ti software (version 7) assisted in data coding to identify themes and subthemes. The findings suggested that top management, halal executive, employees, suppliers, and consumers are critical factors. Similarly, information and knowledge, teamwork, support, policy and procedure, and training are also important determinants towards the successful implementation of the systems. Effective recruitment to ensure the availability of Malaysian Muslim manpower, halal personnel empowerment to play dual roles relate to halal and quality/safety, and keeping up to date with recent fatwa development were found to be important and unique to halal context.     

Freshness Gauge based cold storage management: A method for adjusting temperature and humidity levels for food quality

As the perishable products market grows, the cold chain system is getting more attention. It is desirable for perishable products to keep a good control throughout the whole logistics process. Data collection and the analysis of products are useful for decision making in logistics and it can also enhance the quality of cold chain management. For these reasons, new technologies like Automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) is getting more attention in cold chain management. In this paper, a concept for measuring quality called Freshness Gauge and an algorithm that adjusts proper temperature and humidity levels by reflecting the quality change of eatable products in refrigerated storage are introduced. Shelf-life was used to estimate the food quality and the Centre-of-gravity model and Genetic Algorithm were also applied to get temperature and humidity levels. The proposed algorithms are expected to achieve keeping food quality longer, therefore, the product loss during refrigeration can be reduced.     

Protected Designation of Origin as a Certified Quality System in the Andalusian olive oil industry: Adoption factors and management practices

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is a Certified Quality System (CQS) that guarantees that there is a link between the particular characteristics of the production process of certain foodstuffs and their geographical origin. However, there is room for manoeuvre with regard to the management practices implemented when it comes to PDO. This paper investigates the factors related to and explaining the adoption of PDO in the Andalusian olive industry, the main olive growing region in the world, including an analysis of the varying characteristics of mill enterprises, managerial and supervisory staff, and of the differences and similarities between the practices implemented by PDO enterprises compared with the rest. A structured personal interview was held with the managerial and supervisory staff of 101 olive mill enterprises in the main olive growing provinces of Andalusia. The results show that CQS are not in general very widespread but that PDO is relatively prevalent. However no clear adoption factors for PDO have been identified, since the structural characteristics of enterprises adopting PDO and the personal characteristics, attitudes and opinions of their managers and supervisory staff are very similar to those not adopting it. The adoption of PDO seems to be explained by a contagion effect among industries that are located within less favourable, steeply sloping areas. Moreover, the adoption of PDO is not generally linked to an implementation of better industrial practices, rather of better marketing practices, since in general optimal industrial practices are already widespread in Andalusian olive mills. The policy and management implications of enhancing economic viability by increasing the spread of PDO, and by improving the practices implemented by PDO enterprises, are also discussed.     

Food safety modernization act: A quality management approach to identify and prioritize factors affecting adoption of preventive controls among small food facilities

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in the United States in 2011, shifting the existing food safety focus from a reactive to a preventive approach. According to literature, legislative requirements of FSMA can be challenging for small food facilities affected by the regulations immediately or in near future. Thus, the purpose of this research was to utilize quality management tools to identify and prioritize major challenges faced by small food facilities in adopting the preventive controls' component of the FSMA legislation. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews of food industry representatives and academic professionals from the Midwest region of the United States. An affinity diagram was used to identify the set of challenges that emerged from the interviews, following which a weighted multi-voting survey was used to prioritize the identified challenges. Major identified challenges included: understanding of the FSMA law, cost of implementation, timeline for implementation, employee preparedness, absence of quality culture, and employee willingness. Furthermore, a difference was observed in how industry representatives and academic professionals rank ordered the above-listed challenges.     

Consumption patterns,bacteriological quality and risk factors for Salmonella contamination in meat-based meals consumed outside the home in Kigali,Rwanda

Meat-based meals are consumed as a source of animal proteins and constitute one of the leading vehicles for food borne infections in humans. The main objective of this study was to determine the consumption pattern and the bacteriological quality of meat-based meals consumed outside households in Kigali. A survey on meat consumption patterns was carried out in 400 households by using a questionnaire, whereas different meat-based meals were sampled from 150 snack bars and restaurants. Enumeration of hygiene indicator bacteria (total mesophilic bacteria and Escherichia coli) and the qualitative detection of Salmonella were carried out by using conventional culture methods. The results indicated that goat was the type of meat that was consumed the most outside the home in Kigali and the meat intake varied significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with the social category of the household. The average levels of total aerobic bacteria and E. coli in meat-based meals were found to be 4.7 and 1.4 log cfu/g, respectively, whereas Salmonella was detected in 11.7% of all meat-based meals. Eight factors mostly linked to the cooking treatments and hygienic handling practices for cooked meals were found to be significantly (p ≤ 0.05) associated with the risk of Salmonella occurrence in meat-based meals consumed outside the home in Kigali. The findings from this study strongly suggest the need for proper cooking and/or improvements in hygiene in the establishments selling ready-to-eat meat-based meals in Kigali, particularly those located in rural localities.     

沁南潘河煤层气田生产特征及其控制因素

沁水盆地南部潘河煤层气田具有煤级高、产水量少、煤粉多、产气量高等特征,研究其排采规律,建立适合该气田特征的排采理论,已成为当务之急。遵循吸附解吸渗流、排水降压产气的煤层气基本理论,以潘河先导性试验井的排采数据为基础,对不同生产阶段的生产动态参数进行统计分析,全面研究该煤层气田煤层气井产水量、产气量、压力变化特征及其控制因素。结果表明：潘河煤层气田单井产气量高,多数井的产水量几乎为零,气井保持较高的井底流动压力,煤层气井具有良好的持续稳定的产气能力;在原煤层气生产划分的单相流、非饱和单相流动和两相流动３个阶段之后增加了饱和气体单相流阶段;达到单相饱和气体产出阶段时间（只产气不产水）一般需1～2年,开始进入产气高峰需要2～3年;向斜部位煤层气气井不仅产气量偏高,同时也大量产水,这对井网整体降压具有显著的贡献作用;煤层气井的钻井完井、增产压裂技术和排采技术对煤层气生产也有影响,氮气泡沫压裂井返排时间短,压后快速产气并能保持稳定高产。     

惠民凹陷南部地区断层输导与封闭性能研究

断层是惠民凹陷南部地区油气运移的主要通道,主要油源断层的输导与封闭性决定了该区油气富集程度.利用断裂活动期与油气运移期的匹配关系,研究了该区主要断裂输导与封闭性能的时间变化规律,活动期断层对油气起输导作用,静止期其输导与封闭性能受到很多地质因素影响.采用定量方法对该区夏口断层、营子街断层、玉皇庙南断层的封闭性进行单因素研究,并利用模糊评价方法,分别对其进行了综合评价.结果表明,该区断层静止期,沿断层走向,其输导与封闭性能具有一定的变化规律.沿夏口断层走向,夏23--夏37井区附近封闭性差,夏37井区附近封闭性中等,夏37--夏224井区西侧封闭性较差,夏224--夏223井区附近封闭性中等,夏口断层的最东段封闭性变差;营子街断层自西向东封闭性由差变好;玉皇庙南断层的封闭性整体较好,但是断层东、西段封闭性好,中段封闭性差.该区断层输导与封闭的主控因素有断层活动性及断距、断层走向与倾角、泥岩涂抹系数.     

柴北缘西段古近系优质储层孔隙成因类型及其控制因素

分析孔隙成因类型及其控制因素,对于确定优质储层有重要意义。通过铸体薄片、扫描电镜及测录井资料分析认为,柴北缘西段古近系储层发育原生孔隙、次生孔隙和微裂缝三大类孔隙类型,原生孔隙可细分为压实残余粒间孔和胶结残余粒间孔,次生孔隙包括粒内溶孔、粒间溶孔和晶间微孔,微裂缝根据形成原因可分为压实微裂缝、溶蚀微裂缝。研究区储层孔隙类型主要发育以残余粒间孔为主的原生孔隙,其次发育粒内溶孔和粒间溶孔等次生孔隙,同时发育少量的压实微裂缝。柴北缘西段古近系储层孔隙类型主要受到沉积作用的控制,成岩作用次之,沉积作用对孔隙类型的控制体现在水动力强度的不同,水动力条件较强且成熟度较高的辫状河心滩、河床滞留及辫状河三角洲平原的分流河道、前缘水下分流河道储层砂体原生孔隙较为发育,在相同成岩作用背景下原生孔隙保留最完整,最有可能形成优质储层聚集区。     

Risk-based food safety and quality governance at the international law,EU, USA,Canada and France: Effective system for Lebanon as for the WTO accession

Following the establishment of the Lebanese food safety authority (LFSA) in the food safety draft law, this study aims to find the appropriate food safety governance system in Lebanon in accordance with the risk analysis and the clauses of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement. It describes the regulatory and institutional food safety governance system developed in USA, EU, Canada and France using inventory approach and in-depth interviews at institutional level to profit from their previous experience in this field. The findings indicate that Lebanon showed compliance with the clauses of the WTO but it will not be for the interest of Lebanon to join the WTO before it strengthens its infrastructure capacity at the institutional and stakeholders level through harmonization of the Risk Assessment (RA) and Risk Management (RM) at the institutional level and at all stages of the food chain. Lebanon should rely on bilateral and multilateral agreements by carrying out equivalence that fits his socio-economic situation based on RA. As it was shown in the studied countries, power given to the food safety authority depends on the willing of the country to adopt the political democratic approach or political scientific approach and RM and RA were not always functionally and institutionally separated. Lebanon within his political and socio-economical situation will meet constraints if he relies only on scientific justification, he should adopt the political democratic approach and ensure collaboration among RA agencies and RM at different levels.     

珠江口盆地陆丰凹陷A油田储层质量差异及低渗储层主控因素

南海珠江口盆地自投入油气勘探开发以来,关于该区新近系海相储层的研究已日趋成熟,但是由于深层的勘探开发起步较晚,加之海上井数的限制,深层储层质量的研究相对薄弱,尚不能有效的指导油气田勘探与开发。为此,以南海珠江口盆地陆丰凹陷A油田为例,从微观孔隙结构和宏观物性对比了新近系珠江组滨岸储层和古近系文昌组辫状河三角洲储层的质量差异性,并分析了文昌组低孔、低渗储层的主控因素,以期指导该类油田开发方案的设计。研究表明：A油田储层质量宏观上受控于构造沉积作用,沉积作用一定程度上控制了后期的成岩作用,是造成珠江组与文昌组储层质量差异的主要原因;文昌组低孔低渗储层的主要控制因素为成岩作用,成岩作用减弱了原始沉积组构对储层质量的控制作用,使储层物性变差,并对后期油田开发造成影响。     

四川盆地威远区块典型平台页岩气水平井动态特征及开发建议

位于四川盆地长宁—威远国家级页岩气示范区范围内的威远页岩气田(以下简称威远区块),同一平台上气井的生产动态特征存在着较大的差异,目前对于其页岩气井产气量的主控因素和开发工艺措施的有效性认识尚不明确。为此,以威远区块PT2平台的6口水平井为例,针对气井生产动态存在的差异,从钻遇优质页岩段的长度、水平段轨迹倾向、压裂段长度、改造段数、加砂量及井底积液等方面进行分析,明确了影响威远区块页岩气水平井产气量的主要因素,进而提出了有针对性的开发措施建议。研究结果表明:(1)优质页岩段钻遇长度是气井高产的物质地质保障,水平压裂段长度、改造段数/簇数和加砂量是主要的工程因素;(2)页岩气井生产早期均为带液生产且水气比较大,当产气量低于临界携液流量时,井底积液对产气量和井口压力的影响不容忽视;(3)建议低产井应采用小油管生产(油管内径小于等于62 mm),对于上半支低产井,应及早采取橇装式排水采气工具和措施以释放气井产能,而对于下半支低产井,则应放压生产,防止井底过早积液。     

A structural modeling on food safety knowledge,attitude, and behaviour among Bum Bum Island community of Semporna,Sabah

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior in Bum Bum Island community, Semporna, Sabah. Proportional stratified sampling method was used in this survey. A total of 250 respondents were selected randomly from ten villages in Bum Bum Island. Face-to-face interview was conducted to complete the questionnaire. In general, respondents exhibited average food safety knowledge level especially in their awareness of personal hygiene and kitchenware hygiene. Food safety attitude of the community was found strongly affected their food safety behavior in positive way, which was proven by the highest standard β among variables tested (β₁ = 0.885, p < 0.05). However, food safety knowledge was negatively affected the food safety behavior of the respondents (β₁ = −0.128, p < 0.05). Our result confirmed that Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was successfully used to model the relationship among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior.