An effective HACCP program will use continuous monitoring of physical (e.g. time and temperature parameters, etc) and chemical (e.g., pH, titrable acidity, etc) measurements to provide assurance of microbiological control.
In this instances microbiological testing will need to be done to determine limits for the physical and chemical components.
Exceeding the microbiological limits will then be correlated with corresponding physical and /or chemical limit. Thus exceeding such a physical limit on a CCP (e.g. time short cook) on retort would indicate that a microbiological problem may exist.
Literature surveys or supplier records may contain the necessary information on pathogenic levels in an ingredient or product. FDA and USDA may have specific regulations on some foodborne pathogens. The WHO, CODEX publications can be used to identify acceptable/unacceptable levels of the microorganism in a variety of food products.
Experimental studies will then need to be done in many instances to determine the parameters at which the microorganisms reach a health hazards or the parameters needed to control the microorganisms.
Once correlated, these physical and chemical limits serve as indirect measurements of microbiological control.
Setting microbiological limits in HACCP
