Quality and Process Control in Food industry

INTRODUCTION

Quality control is the sum of all those controllable factors that ultimately influence positively or
negatively the quality of the finished product e.g. selection of raw materials, processing methods,
packaging, methods of storage distribution etc. Quality is defined as any of the features that
make something what it is or the degree of excellence or superiority. The word "quality" is used
in various ways as applied to food. Quality product to the salesman means one of high quality
and usually at an expensive nature. Likewise for fresh produce, the word "quality" refers to the
attributes of the food which make it agreeable to the person who eats it. This involves positive
factors like colour, flavour, texture and nutritive value as well as the negative characteristic such
as freedom from harmful micro-organisms and undesirable substances.

The term control does not imply that a poor raw material can be converted into a good finished
product. In food processing, the general rule is that the effective methods must be carefully
applied to conserve the original qualities of the raw materials. Processing cannot improve the
raw material.

The aim of quality control is to achieve as good and as consistent a standard of quality in the
product being produced as is compatible with the market for which the product is designed.

THE PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY CONTROL

The principles of quality control are considered under the following:

 Raw material control
 Process control
 Finished product inspection

Invariably, once a food product has been through a manufacturing process, little can be done to
alter its quality. Thus examination of finished products only permits acceptance of material
reaching the desired standard and rejection of material which fails to reach this standard. Such a
process is therefore one of inspection and not one of control. It can be claimed that if control of
raw materials and control of process is perfect, the final product will not require inspection.
However, in practice it is seldom possible to guarantee complete control over raw materials and
processing conditions and thus a greater or lesser degree of finished product inspection will be
necessary, depending on circumstances within the factory. it is economically desirable to
concentrate on ensuring that inspection (and rejection) at the finished product stage is reduced to
a nominal level by effective raw material and process controls.

In a food processing industry the stores and warehouses often contain a large range of raw
materials. Raw materials such as artificial colouring, spices and essences may be used slowly and
may deteriorate on long storage. Others such as wheat or milk powder may be rapidly replaced in
the flour and milk industry respectively. Fresh meat is highly perishable and requires good
refrigeration where sugar, salt etc. may be very stable and only requires a cool dry condition to
remain in excellent condition for a long period. It's not every single raw material which must be
subjected to detailed examination and testing at frequent intervals. Those used in insignificant
amounts can be omitted from frequent inspection since the cost of inspection will often far
outweigh the advantages gained.

In any product, there is a dominant raw material (sometimes it could be several of these) upon
which the quality of the finished product is mainly dependent e.g. in bread production, flour is
the essential raw material, malt for beer, wheat for flour etc.

RAW MATERIAL SELECTION AND PRODUCT QUALITY

The following are the rules of quality control:

I. The dominant raw material (s) are selected for priority of attention
2. The selected raw materials are tested in relation to their contribution to product quality.
3. The raw materials tested are released from the stores only after the test results have
been properly recorded.
4. Process control must relate the processing results to the raw materials test.
5 Define the critical points in the process and concentrate on these.
6. Finished product inspection should be reduced to the minimum level compatible with
the confidence justified by the raw materials and process control.
7. Quality control is effective in proportion to its degree of integration into the overall
organisation of the factory.

The formulation of the type of sampling and the test applied must reflect in the finished product.
The test must be fast, simple and suited to the purpose but the same time reliable to enable the
laboratory to give authorization to the factory to use the raw material. This test can be chemical,
physical, bacteriological.

Careful planning is necessary for release of raw test results. The factory must not be deprived of
an essential raw material while it awaits quality control clearance. Pressures of production are
invariable high and nothing brings a quality control system more quickly into disrepute than
delays while testing is carried out. When there is good cooperation management delays can be
avoided. This means that the work of quality control must be integrated with the factory
management plan.

It is evident that raw material control and process control arc inter-related. It is difficult to
discuss raw material control without reference to process control and it is also equally difficult to
talk of process control without assuming that proper raw material controls are simultaneously in
operation and that the dominant raw materials are known to have reached the standards required
for proper processing.

In planning a process control scheme, one must first and foremost list in sequence the steps in the
process and put it in a flow diagram. Each step is considered critically and against it sources of
deviation is prepared. From this list a number of points in the process will be recognised as
critical points (CP) at which trouble may arise which may be reflected in the quality of the
finished product.
Quality control is one aspect of the overall control production which in its totality, constitutes the
management function. Stock control, production management, plant maintenance and sales
budgeting are terms used by management to describe activities directed towards achieving the
purposes of the organization within the limits of its resources. The concept behind the terms used
is the coordinated direction of efforts towards an idealized optimum situation in which maximum
results are achieved with minimum effort. As society becomes more complex, management
activities may be directed not merely to achieving the maximum profit as shown in the annual
accounts in any years, but to producing what might be described as a situation of profit growth.

In a large food factory the team will be multi-disciplinary that is, a microbiologist, processing
specialist, chemist, biochemist, engineer, packaging technologist, sales, staff, training and
personnel managers. For medium and small scale, the quality control and production managers
and few supporting staff like sales and administrative managers should be enough. If they do not
have qualified personnel on the payroll, they must prepared to buy assistance from outside
consultants in order to implement the system. When the team is assembled, their terms of
reference must be clearly defined and agreed by the group.

Quality control managers and supervisors can improve the date upon which yields are calculated
by using the knowledge of the properties of in-coming raw materials. On the other hand,
production control, with its detailed knowledge of movements of materials may provide
information of value in improving quality control's sampling methods, etc. However, good
personal relations between those concerned are essential if co-operation is to be obtained.

CONCLUSION

Quality control is a dynamic concept which evolves from initial plan as experience grows. It
scans every day's production. Day-to-day experience of the variables to met leads sometimes to
simplification of original plan. The introduction of improved machinery may also affect the
original plan. Year-to-year experience of raw material variability increases the degree of
certainty of predictions based on raw material testing. The bacteriological safety of a pack is a
factor involving the growth of confidence as experience grows.

In the industrialized world, all food processing is linked to quality control. They do operate
systematic quality control scheme. There are lots of mechanized control techniques and these are
linked with improvements in processing machinery. Thus, although quality control started with a
chemist, it may well be developed by an engineer.

From these considerations, it is tempting to speculate that in the 21st century, there will be a
possibility of centralizing all forms of control and using modern data processing methods to
obtain an integrated picture of events at any moment during the production schedule, and at the
same time to provide continuous monitoring of the schedule to allow very rapid adjustments to
fluctuating demand and changing circumstances. It is perhaps not too fantastic to suggest that the
manager of the future may sit at a desk provided with dials showing him the sales current level,
the current production level, the production efficiency level, the running profit margin and the
running quality index. There seems no fundamental reason why such a system could not be
devised to process continuous incoming information.

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and
appearance. Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food
by pickling (with vinegar), salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in
some wines. With the advent of processed foods in the second half of the 20th century, many
more additives have been introduced, of both natural and artificial origin.

Categories
Food additives can be divided into several groups, although there is some overlap between them.
Acids
Food acids are added to make flavors "sharper", and also act as preservatives and
antioxidants. Common food acids include vinegar, citric acid, tartaric acid, malic
acid, fumaric acid, and lactic acid.
Acidity regulators
Acidity regulators are used to change or otherwise control the acidity and alkalinity of
foods.
Anticaking agents
Anticaking agents keep powders such as milk powder from caking or sticking.
Antifoaming agents
Antifoaming agents reduce or prevent foaming in foods.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants such as vitamin C act as preservatives by inhibiting the effects of oxygen on
food, and can be beneficial to health.
Bulking agents
Bulking agents such as starch are additives that increase the bulk of a food without
affecting its taste.
Food coloring
Colorings are added to food to replace colors lost during preparation, or to make food
look more attractive.
Color retention agents
In contrast to colorings, color retention agents are used to preserve a food's existing color.
Emulsifiers
Emulsifiers allow water and oils to remain mixed together in an emulsion, as
in mayonnaise, ice cream, and homogenized milk.
Flavors
 Flavors are additives that give food a particular taste or smell, and may be derived from
natural ingredients or created artificially.
Flavor enhancers
Flavor enhancers enhance a food's existing flavors. They may be extracted from natural
sources (through distillation, solvent extraction, maceration, among other methods) or
created artificially.
Flour treatment agents
Flour treatment agents are added to flour to improve its color or its use in baking.
Glazing agents
Glazing agents provide a shiny appearance or protective coating to foods.
Humectants
Humectants prevent foods from drying out.
Tracer gas
Tracer gas allow for package integrity testing to prevent foods from being exposed to
atmosphere, thus guaranteeing shelf life.
Preservatives
Preservatives prevent or inhibit spoilage of food due to fungi, bacteria and
other microorganisms.
Stabilizers
Stabilizers, thickeners and gelling agents, like agar or pectin (used in jam for example)
give foods a firmer texture. While they are not true emulsifiers, they help to
stabilize emulsions.
Sweeteners
Sweeteners are added to foods for flavoring. Sweeteners other than sugar are added to
keep the food energy (calories) low, or because they have beneficial effects for diabetes
mellitus and tooth decay and diarrhea.
Thickeners
Thickening agents are substances which, when added to the mixture, increase
its viscosity without substantially modifying its other properties.

Food Spoilage is the process in which food deteriorates to the point in which it is not edible
to humans or its quality of edibility becomes reduced. Various external forces are responsible for
the spoilage of food. Food that is capable of spoiling is referred to as perishable food.

Reasons

Harvested foods decompose from the moment they are harvested due to attacks from enzymes,
oxidation and microorganisms. These include bacteria, mold, yeast, moisture, temperature and
chemical reaction.
Bacteria
Bacteria can be responsible for the spoilage of food. When bacteria breaks down the
food, acids and other waste products are created in the process. While the bacteria itself may or
may not be harmful, the waste products may be unpleasant to taste or may even be harmful to
one's health.
Yeasts
Yeasts can be responsible for the decomposition of food with high sugar content. The same
effect is useful in the production of various types of food and beverages, such
as bread, yogurt, cider, and alcoholic beverages.
Signs of food spoilage may include an appearance different from the food in its fresh form, such
as a change in color, a change in texture, an unpleasant odor, or an undesirable taste. The item
may become softer than normal. If mold occurs, it is often visible externally on the item.

Food borne disease

Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and colloquially referred to as food poisoning) is
any illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated food, pathogenic bacteria, viruses,
or parasites that contaminate food, as well as chemical or natural toxins such as poisonous
mushrooms.
Symptoms vary depending on the cause. A few broad generalizations can be made, e.g.:
The incubation period ranges from hours to days, depending on the cause and on how much was
consumed. The incubation period tends to cause sufferers to not associate the symptoms with the
item consumed, and so to cause sufferers to attribute the symptoms to stomach flu for example.
Symptoms often include vomiting, fever, and aches, and may include diarrhea. Bouts of
vomiting can be repeated, with an extended delay in between, because even if infected food was
eliminated from the stomach in the first bout, microbes (if applicable) can have passed through
the stomach into the intestine, attached to the cells lining the intestinal walls, and begun to
multiply there. Some types of microbes stay in the intestine, some produce a toxin that is
absorbed into the bloodstream, and some can directly invade deeper body tissues.
Food borne illness usually arises from improper handling, preparation, or food storage.
Good hygiene practices before, during, and after food preparation can reduce the chances of
contracting an illness. There is a consensus in the public health community that regular hand-
washing is one of the most effective defenses against the spread of food borne illness. The action
of monitoring food to ensure that it will not cause food borne illness is known as food safety.
Food borne disease can also be caused by a large variety of toxins that affect the environment.
For food borne illness caused by chemicals, sea food contaminants.
 Food borne illness can also be caused by pesticides or medicines in food and naturally toxic
substances such as poisonous mushrooms or reef fish.
What is foodborne illness?
Foodborne illness (also called food poisoning) is an illness caused by eating foods that have
harmful organisms in them. These harmful germs can include bacteria, parasites, and viruses.
They are mostly found in raw meat, chicken, fish, and eggs, but they can spread to any type of
food. They can also grow on food that is left out on counters or outdoors or is stored too long
before you eat it. Sometimes foodborne illness happens when people don't wash their hands
before they touch food.
Most of the time, foodborne illness is mild and goes away after a few days. All you can do is
wait for your body to get rid of the germ that is causing the illness. But some types of foodborne
illness may be more serious, and you may need to see a doctor.

What are the symptoms?

The first symptom of foodborne illness is usually diarrhea. You may also feel sick to your
stomach, vomit, or have stomach cramps. Some foodborne illness can cause a high fever and
blood in your stool. How you feel when you have foodborne illness mostly depends on how
healthy you are and what germ is making you sick.

If you vomit or have diarrhea a lot, you can get dehydrated. Dehydration means that your body
has lost too much fluid.
How do harmful germs get into food?
Germs can get into food when:

 Meat is processed. It is normal to find bacteria in the intestines of healthy animals that we use
for food. Sometimes the bacteria get mixed up with the parts of those animals that we eat.
 The food is watered or washed. If the water used to irrigate or wash fresh fruits and vegetables
has germs from animal manure or human sewage in it, those germs can get on the fruits and
vegetables.
 The food is prepared. When someone who has germs on his or her hands touches the food, or if
the food touches other food that has germs on it, the germs can spread. For example, if you use
the same cutting board for chopping vegetables and preparing raw meat, germs from the raw
meat can get on the vegetables.
How will you know if you have foodborne illness?
Because most foodborne illness is mild and goes away after a few days, most people don't go to
the doctor. You can usually assume that you have foodborne illness if other people who ate the
same food also got sick.
 If you think you have foodborne illness, call your local health unit to report it. This could help
keep others from getting sick.

Call your doctor if you think you may have a serious illness. You may need to see your doctor if
your diarrhea or vomiting is very bad or if you don't start to get better after a few days.

If you do go to the doctor, he or she will ask you about your symptoms (diarrhea, feeling sick to
your stomach, or throwing up), ask about your health in general, and do a physical examination.
Your doctor will ask about where you have been eating and whether anyone who ate the same
foods is also sick. Sometimes the doctor will take stool or blood samples and have them tested.

How is it treated?
In most cases, foodborne illness goes away on its own in 2 to 3 days. All you need to do is rest
and get plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration from diarrhea. Drink a cup of water or
rehydration drink (such as Pedialyte) each time you have a large, loose stool. Soda and fruit
juices have too much sugar and shouldn't be used to rehydrate.

Antibiotics usually aren't used to treat foodborne illness. Medicines that stop diarrhea
(antidiarrheals) can be helpful, but they should not be given to infants or young children. You
shouldn't take antidiarrheals if you have a high fever or have blood in the diarrhea, because they
can make your illness worse.

If you think you are severely dehydrated, you may need to go to the hospital.

How can you prevent foodborne illness?

You can prevent most cases of foodborne illness with these simple steps:

 Clean. Wash your hands often and always before you touch food. Keep your knives, cutting
boards, and counters clean. You can wash them with hot, soapy water, or put items in the
dishwasher and use a disinfectant on your counter. Wash fresh fruits and vegetables.
 Separate. Keep germs from raw meat from getting on fruits, vegetables, and other foods. Put
cooked meat on a clean platter, not back on the one that held the raw meat.
 Cook. Make sure that meat, chicken, fish, and eggs are fully cooked.
 Chill. Refrigerate leftovers right away. Don't leave cut fruits and vegetables at room temperature
for a long time.
 When in doubt, throw it out. If you aren't sure if a food is safe, don't eat it.

Post harvest technology:

In agriculture, postharvest handling is the stage of crop production immediately
following harvest, including cooling, cleaning, sorting and packing. The instant a crop is
removed from the ground, or separated from its parent plant, it begins to deteriorate. Postharvest
treatment largely determines final quality, whether a crop is sold for fresh consumption, or used
as an ingredient in a processed food product.
The most important goals of post-harvest handling are keeping the product cool, to avoid
moisture loss and slow down undesirable chemical changes, and avoiding physical damage such
as bruising, to delay spoilage. Sanitation is also an important factor, to reduce the possibility
of pathogens that could be carried by fresh produce, for example, as residue from
contaminated washing water.
After the field, post-harvest processing is usually continued in a packing house. This can be a
simple shed, providing shade and running water, or a large-scale,
sophisticated, mechanized facility, with conveyor belts, automated sorting and packing stations,
walk-in coolers and the like. In mechanized harvesting, processing may also begin as part of the
actual harvest process, with initial cleaning and sorting performed by the harvesting machinery.
Initial post-harvest storage conditions are critical to maintaining quality. Each crop has an
optimum range for storage temperature and humidity. Also, certain crops cannot be effectively
stored together, as unwanted chemical interactions can result. Various methods of high-speed
cooling, and sophisticated refrigerated and atmosphere-controlled environments, are employed to
prolong freshness, particularly in large-scale operations.
Regardless of the scale of harvest, from domestic garden to industrialized farm, the basic
principles of post-harvest handling for most crops are the same: handle with care to avoid
damage (cutting, crushing, bruising), cool immediately and maintain in cool conditions, and cull
(remove damaged items)