Meat&Poultry -- October 2014 - 50

Food Safety

Reaching CRITICAL limits
It's crucial to understand all principles
of HACCP when establishing plans
BY KERRI GEHRING AND JEFFREY SAVELL
meatpoultry@sosland.com

A

lthough establishing Critical

Limits was designed to put some sort

and then making sure that the tem-

Limits - when putting togeth-

of numerical or measurable value

perature declines within the allowed

er Hazard Analysis Critical Control

around the CCPs. If cooking is the

times are met for chilling products

Points (HACCP) programs - seems

CCP, then the temperature the prod-

according to Appendix B.

rather straightforward, based on our

uct must reach and the time it must

2. Literature surveys and in-

experiences in HACCP-training class-

remain at that temperature become

dustry guidelines- The most-com-

es, assisting establishments with their

the Critical Limit. It seems simple,

monly used literature survey in HAC-

HACCP plans and in writing and

right? But, one now has to determine:

CP plans is the document that Dr.

maintaining Texas A&M's Rosen-

what temperature is critical; how much

Bruce Tomkin of Armour-Swift-Eck-

thal Meat Sci-

time is needed at that temperature; is

rich prepared on a number of temper-

ence and Tech-

it surface temperature or internal tem-

ature-related factors that influence

nology Center's

perature, etc. It is at this point where

pathogen growth. The Good Manu-

HACCP plans,

greater thought and additional infor-

facturing Practices for Fermented Dry

t his simple

mation must be applied by the HAC-

& Semi-Dry Sausage Products devel-

HACCP prin-

CP team to ensure that Critical Lim-

oped by the American Meat Institute

c iple c a n b e

its are scientifically supportable and

is another often-used document. Lit-

quite difficult.

defendable for regulatory purposes.

erature surveys are an underutilized

Gehring

L et 's f i r st
review the def-

Critical Limits are typically derived
from three areas:

source of Critical Limits, and further
work by food microbiologists, food

inition of Crit-

chemists and other experts in vari-

ical Limits

guidelines- For establishments that

ous fields could really help provide

from the Na-

prepare ready-to-eat products, US-

documents that could be used by meat

tional Adviso-

DA's Appendix A for lethality and

and poultry processors in establishing

ry Committee

Appendix B for stabilization are the

these limits.

on Microbio-

two most-commonly used guidelines

3. Experimental results- We

logical CriteSavell

1. Regulatory standards or

for setting Critical Limits for cooking

often assume that large establishments

ria for Foods:

and chilling of products. Establish-

are more likely to generate their own

"A maximum

information for very specific prod-

they follow all components of them.

ucts that may not have known Criti-

logical, chemical or physical parameter

Examples of this would be cooking in

cal Limits for the control measures for

must be controlled at a CCP to prevent,

an oven with at least "90 percent rela-

the hazards of concern because of the

eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level

tive humidity for at least 25 percent of

costs involved with conducting such

the occurrence of a food-safety hazard."

the total cooking time but in no case

research. Some uses of experimental

It is clear that establishing Critical

50

ments that follow these must ensure

and/or minimum value to which a bio-

for less than 1 hour" for Appendix A,

results come from scientific journal

* Meat&Poultry * October 2014 * www.MeatPoultry.com
http://www.MeatPoultry.com
Meat&Poultry -- October 2014

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