Thermal Process Validation

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Each year, foodborne pathogens cause 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in US. In recent years, the processed food market has experienced tremendous growth. Recent risk-assessment factors that FDA and USDA published points to processed foods as the major contributor to foodborne diseases. Inadequate cooking was cited as a contributing factor in 67% of the outbreaks. Since January 2001, millions of pounds of processed foods that were recalled were due to potential hazard from pathogens. Our program is to answer some of the immediate technical questions concerning the microbial pathogens in thermally processed foods and assist processors in achieving performance standards and optimizing their operations.
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APPROACH: Our research is to determine the effect of operation parameters on thermal inactivation of pathogens in commercial processes and to establish models that correlate pathogen process lethality and actual pathogen survival/kill with process operations. Our research will build groundwork for validating commercial processes in order to help processors to achieve performance standards and optimize their operations to improve product quality and yield. Our education effort is for students to use the combined knowledge of microbiology, biochemistry, and food processing to solve real world food safety problems in thermal processing. Our extension effort is for processors to know how to control and validate thermal processes and where to obtain information.
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PROGRESS: 2001/09 TO 2006/09<BR>
The objective of this project was to deliver science-based knowledge and educational programs to industry to enable their employees to make practical decisions in achieving performance standards. Through publications in scientific journals and through workshops and on-line training courses, significant science-based knowledge has been delivered.
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IMPACT: 2001/09 TO 2006/09<BR>
This program is to help processors to achieve performance standards and at the same time to optimize their operations in order to improve product quality and yield. This project will help processors to control and validate thermal processes and document the elimination of pathogens from processed foods. The research will benefit the entire processed food industry. The information from this project will also be important to government agencies and food scientists. Currently, very limited information is available for directing commercial processes.