Microbiological risk assessment in the beverage industry

This paper illustrates some of the developments and considerations in the field of quantitative microbiological risk assessment, applying a beverage industrial model based on laboratory based experiments, process exposure assessment versus finished-product microbiological quality control. In laboratory experiments, the authors investigated the effect of chlorination on Klebsiella oxytoca and the efficacy of industrial water treatment was estimated by applying a mathematical model based on destruction kinetics. The quantitative risk assessment model took into account the input contamination level, the chlorine concentration and the residence time distribution in the chlorination tanks with their probability distribution and the probability of Klebsiella oxytoca detection in the treated water as a function of the input cell concentration was calculated by using Monte Carlo simulation. The model was validated in a Pilot Plant for a six month period and the linear relationship between the predicted and observed probability of Klebsiella-detection was characterized with a determination coefficient of R²=0.905.