Food Safety

Conclusions & Recommendations

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 @ 9:00 PM

What are the conclusions & recommendations for Blueberry Muffin ?

We concluded that Staphylococcus aureus is the cause for the food borne illness outbreak due to the poor handling of food by the workers

What can be done to solve the problem ?

The usage of raw eggs as one of ingredients in Blueberry Yoghurt Muffin can be replaced with pasteurized liquid eggs. This is because the raw eggs will undergo heat treatment (pasteurization) and are processed at a required temperature for a specified time. Pasteurization helps to kill Salmonella spp. in the batter before it is baked. Thus, it will ensure that the muffin will not cause hazardous food borne-illness and is safe for consumption. It is also advisable to store the pasteurized liquid eggs in a chiller of 0oC to 4oC.

In step eight, non-porous material scoop such as metal is preferred to the wooden spatula used to collect the batter mixture. This is because metal is easier to clean and sanitize before using, unlike wood. Wood has a porous material which absorbs the moisture and fat content of the mixture. Moreover, improper drying and keeping of wooden spatula can promote the growth of moulds and harmful bacteria as it serve as a breeding ground. This is dangerous as it can cause food-borne illness.

It is best to pre-heat the oven before baking. This is a crucial step to ensure that the hot air is circulated evenly throughout the oven. Uneven hot air circulation in the oven can cause the muffin to be unevenly cooked. Thus, harmful microorganisms still can survive in some parts of the muffin. Another way is to rotate the muffin baking pan in every ten minutes to ensure the muffins placed nearer to the oven sides are not burnt at the end of the baking.

In step ten, blast chilling can be one of the many alternatives to cool down the muffins to room temperature. This will minimize the time the muffins are left in the temperature danger zone (5oC – 65oC). A proper timing and temperature for blast chilling should also be set.

In step eleven, blast freezing is recommended before the chilling of the muffins. This is because low temperature will slow down the growth of harmful microorganisms in muffins. Thus, it prolongs the shelf life. A proper timing and temperature for blast freezing should be set. Constant monitoring of blast freezer’s and chiller’s temperature must be conducted.

In addition, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) can be carried out during the receiving, storing, handling raw materials, processing and serving of muffin to the consumers. GMP is important for the implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan to be successful. The workers should also be typhoid vaccinated to prevent spreading of typhoid fever. It is for the safety of both the workers in the production area and the safety of the food products to prevent any form of contamination. However, if the muffins are blast freezed, the microwave time should be increased to more than twenty. This is to ensure that the interior of the muffin is sufficiently heated thus preventing proliferation of microbes

Posted By: Alicia Chee