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Microbiological criteria 
New guidance from CCFRA will help clarify the confusion surrounding the use of microbiological criteria for foods and drinks - which include microbiological standards, guidelines and specifications. Increasingly manufacturers are moving away from 'end product testing' towards the use of pre-set microbiological criteria to verify HACCP and good practices - such as good manufacturing, agricultural and hygienic practice. EU legislation on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs has added further impetus. A project was established to develop impartial guidance for industry, overseen by a group of thirty specialists drawn from industry and government. It started from the premise that a microbiological criterion must be fit for purpose - for example, by stating the microbe of concern and clear microbiological limits, and including an appropriate sampling plan - and then developed a set of steps for setting microbiological criteria for foods. The new guidance - recently published as the Establishment and use of microbiological criteria for foods (Guideline 52) - places the process of developing criteria in context by illustrating how the criteria sit within a wider product specification, how they can be used and what they can achieve - for example, in the verification of a company's HACCP system. Contact: Phil Voysey Foreign body identification One of the first steps in handling a food foreign body incident is identifying the object, to help establish how it got into the food. CCFRA has extensive facilities, skills, experience and services for helping companies with this. 
“We deal with all kinds of foreign body, handling many different types - from glass, metal and plastic to insects, vegetable matter and, occasionally, very unusual objects” explains Mike Edwards, CCFRA's Microscopy Section Manager. “Our clients require a fast response, so our standard turnaround time from receipt of sample to the issue of a preliminary report is just 4 days - with a premium 24-hour turnaround available if required and where the analysis allows. We can also try to assess whether the foreign body has been processed with the food, to help establish the stage of contamination. In some cases contamination happens in the consumer's home - usually accidentally - and it is important to be able to explain to the consumer what may have occurred.” Mike adds: “We also promote best practice in foreign body analysis - through the publication of guides and our foreign body proficiency scheme through which industry laboratories can gauge their performance.” Contact: Mike Edwards CTemp - Version 8 
CTemp is a computer program for calculating temperatures in heat processed foods. Used for establishing safe processing conditions and in process optimisation, its value to the heat preserved foods sector is illustrated by the release of Version 8.0. Specifically, CTemp can be used to predict temperatures for any in-pack product, optimise processes (e.g. to minimise browning or maximise nutrient retention), analyse process deviation, and efficiently set retort times and temperatures. New Excel routines have improved data presentation. CTemp has been thoroughly tested on combinations of product, package and process. This includes fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, pasta, sauces, pastes, petfoods and rice in cans, glass jars, pouches or trays. It covers steam, steam/air, water immersion, raining water and water spray systems, static and rotary retorts and hydrostatic and reel and spiral cookers, for sterilisation and pasteurisation processes. Contact: Gary Tucker Campden Day 6 June 2007 As well as an opportunity to hear Dame Deirdre Hutton deliver the 29th Annual Campden Lecture, on 'The science of food regulation', Campden Day will enable members to update themselves with the full breadth of our activities, with over a hundred displays organised around six topical themes:
Contact: Lynette Lewis Pulsed light 
Pulsed light can be used to inactivate micro-organisms on surfaces – including, for example, preparation areas, equipment, packaging and food. There are reports, for example, that it can reduce spoilage of products by inactivating moulds and bacteria that might otherwise grow on the product surface. Using equipment loaned to CCFRA by Claranor SA, we are assessing the applications of pulsed light with packaging and a range of foods including bakery, meat, fish and fresh cut produce, as part of the on-going member-subscription funded new technologies project. We are also able to use the equipment to work with individual companies who wish to assess applications for their own products, processes or materials. Contact: Craig Leadley Distance Learning April saw the launch of the second of four distance learning courses developed by the Open University in collaboration with CCFRA. Food: preservation and packaging is aimed at those new to the food industry and with a non-food background. On multimedia DVD with accompanying books and website, it involves around 50 hours of directed study. For further information and registration see training. Sustainable food packaging conference To be held at CCFRA on 5-6 July 2007, this will cover current biodegradable and compostable solutions. Contact: training@campden.co.uk New packaging laboratory In response to increasing demand for food and drink packaging services, our packaging laboratory has been fully refurbished. Services in biodegradable packaging and testing of seal integrity in particular have seen an increase, and the new facilities will enable these tests to be carried out more effectively. The new laboratory also houses equipment for permeability testing of films and packs, as well as for supporting the provision of advice, guidance and testing services for a variety of food packaging. It will also facilitate meetings with clients, is an ideal area for practical packaging demonstrations held on our packaging-related courses, and will accommodate equipment that will be acquired for new methods and service development. Contact: Emma Hanby First MicroVal validation - by CCFRA CCFRA has become the first expert laboratory involved in MicroVal validation of a microbiological test kit to EN ISO 16140 - the international standard for such validations. With many test kits to choose from, microbiology laboratories often use validation status as a selection criterion. Also, methods that are certified to the ISO standard can be used to fulfil testing requirements of the EU regulation on microbiological criteria. Responding to this, MicroVal established a scheme for internationally accepted validation and certification of new methods against the standard. CCFRA was appointed as an Expert Laboratory, reflecting our standing in this area. The first MicroVal Certificate was issued in March 2007, for the COMPACT DRY TC method for microbial total viable counts (supplied by HYSERVE GmbH, Germany, and manufactured by Nissui Pharmaceutical Co.Ltd., Japan). Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), The Netherlands, was the MicroVal Certification Body, with CCFRA as the Expert Laboratory. We are able to offer guidance to methods manufacturers seeking advice on accreditation or requiring contact with an Expert Laboratory with experience with the ISO standard and MicroVal certification. Contact: Chris Baylis Microbial spoilage reviewed A new review from CCFRA will help companies in setting target micro-organism levels as part of their obligation to set shelf lives for their products. Microbial spoilage of foods: a review (Review No. 55) provides a guide to the general spoilage patterns of different food groups and investigates whether there are any relevant spoilage organisms that could be used routinely as a more reliable microbial indicator of product quality in a range of food groups. After an introductory overview, it looks in greater detail at the typical flora associated with major food groups and describes these before concluding with two very useful appendices which outline the characteristics of individual spoilage organisms and lists individual organisms associated with spoilage of different food groups. Contact: Carol Newman CCFRA and Norconserv collaborate 
CCFRA and Norconserv AS - Norway's independent seafood processing research institute - are delighted to have signed a collaborative agreement that will benefit clients of both organisations. Mike Stringer, CCFRA's Director of Food Technology comments: “Our wide-ranging expertise and extensive laboratories and pilot plant will provide Norconserv's clients with access to a diversity of skills, advice and facilities, while Norconserv's considerable specialist expertise and world-wide reputation in fish and fish processing technology will help us to meet the needs of members in a growing area of interest.” In practical terms, the collaboration will involve joint research projects, joint industry training courses, conferences and workshops, and staff exchange in selected scientific areas. Contact: Mike Stringer 40 years service 
Carol Newman will be familiar to many members as CCFRA's Publications Officer who handles requests for our publications. In April, Carol reached a significant milestone by completing 40 years service at the Research Association, having started work at the then Fruit and Vegetable Preservation Research Association on 17th April 1967 as Assistant Technical Officer in Experimental Processing. In a presentation on behalf of the Research Association, Professor Colin Dennis thanked Carol for her 40 years loyal service and her conscientiousness, and also paid tribute to Carol's extensive charity work. Welcome to New members CCFRA is delighted to welcome the following new members who joined in March 2007:
Contact: Bertrand Emond Please notify the Membership Department of any name or address changes with respect to our mailing list. |