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This project addresses the analysis, assessment and identification of sources of risk associated with the secure transport of liquid food commodities in tanker trucks. Tanker transport is commonly used to move juice and dairy products from one food processing facility to another across the U.S.
Juices are moved by tanker across the U.S. on a daily basis from many geographically distinct areas. Milk and other dairy products are also moved in-bulk although transport is usually on a regional basis. It is not unusual for juice processors to ship tankers of concentrate from Florida to dairies in other states prior to packaging. Some small juice processors rely entirely upon bulk transport in tankers to move their product. Issues of tanker sanitation are of critical concern for the safety of various food products. Tanker transport of foods has been an overlooked aspect of farm-to-fork food safety. The normal elements of control utilized by a processor may not be present in the liquid tanker transport system since food processors usually rely on independent tanker truck companies to provide clean tankers to transport juice locally and long distances. A few of these trucking companies have their own tank wash facilities, while many others rely on independent tanker wash stations in various parts of the U.S. to provide this service. <P> The rationale and significance of this study can be summarized by considering the need to ensure that liquid food commodities are transported in a sanitary and secure manner. We anticipate that results from tanker sanitation studies conducted in Florida and Virginia will provide information with wide-spread applicability for various liquid food commodities. Goals of this study are to evaluate the current state of tanker sanitation and to provide a blue-print for mitigation strategies that will enhance the safety of juices and dairy products that are transported in bulk.
Specific study objectives are: <OL> <LI> To investigate the microflora of tankers delivered to juice and dairy manufacturers for loading or unloading.<LI> To produce extension/outreach products and workshops for appropriate stakeholders. <LI> To produce educational products for appropriate stakeholders.</ol>
A Tanker-truck transport of liquid foods such as juice and dairy products must be conducted in a clean, sanitary and secure manner. B Extension activities related to tanker transport of foods are minimal. C Education activities that include issues related to bulk transport of foods are minimal. A The purpose of this study is to investigate the microflora of tankers delivered to juice and dairy manufacturers for loading or unloading in Florida and Virginia. B Extension outreach efforts related to tanker sanitation and security will be produced for the food and tanker transport industries. C Educational modules related to tanker sanitation and security will be produced and incorporated into existing courses. Modules may be used to establish a web-based course on tanker transport of foods.
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A survey to determine the cleanliness and sanitary quality of tankers arriving for loading or unloading at beverage processing plants will be conducted. Water remaining on the interior sides of a clean tanker after washing typically drains to the bottom rear of the truck during transport of the tanker to a food manufacturing plant. If the tanker is clean and empty, this water will be released through the tanker's rear valve assembly and a portion aseptically collected for microbial analysis. Portions of the valve assembly will be swabbed to determine the microbial load. From both loaded and empty tankers, swabs will be taken from various points of the tanker including the inner dome area, and rear valve assembly. Samples will be transported to the nearest cooperating laboratory (University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center, Lake Alfred, FL; University of Florida Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, Gainesville, FL; Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA; Virginia Tech Department of Food Science & Technology, Blacksburg, VA) for analytical testing. Samples will be assayed for total aerobic plate count, E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. Extension efforts will be focused on integration of research observations with training approaches to enhance quality and safety practices. Programmatic efforts will include educational/outreach and extension efforts that will help educate fluid food processors on methods to enhance tanker sanitation. Outreach activities will include workshops, trade publications and roundtable discussions. Information generated from the research efforts of this grant will be incorporated into existing courses at the participating institutions. Slightly longer term, stand-alone course modules will be developed that will provide fundamental knowledge about the microbiological sanitation of tankers used to transport juices, juice concentrates, fluid milk and other liquid foods, and also provide practical examples of appropriate transportation/handling practices. The complete modules can be utilized for a variety of needs: graduate level special study, flexible content for existing courses, and also in WebCT courses (or other web-based systems) that serve the distance learning strategic growth plans of the collaborating institutions.