CAC/RCP 46-1999 Code of Hygienic Practice for Refrigerated Packaged Foods with Extended Shelf-Life
INTRODUCTION
Refrigerated packaged foods with extended shelf life are foodstuffs that are kept refrigerated to preserve them for more than five days as described in item 2.1 Scope. In general, the heat or other preservation treatments that these products receive is not sufficient to ensure their commercial sterility. Refrigeration is an important hurdle that retards food spoilage and growth of most pathogens. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to
ensure that the product produced is safe throughout its shelf-life, taking into consideration the potential for temperature abuse. This may warrant the use of hurdles to microbial growth in addition to refrigeration.
There are possibilities for temperature abuse during manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and handling by the consumer. These temperature abuses may allow the growth of pathogenic microorganisms unless additional hurdles are built into the product to prevent potential microbial growth. Moreover, refrigeration alone is not always sufficient to minimize microbiological risk, since some microorganisms are psychrotrophic (grow at refrigeration temperatures), for example, certain strains of Listeria monocytogenes or certain strains Clostridium botulinum, which can grow at temperatures of 4°C or lower. Therefore, in the absence of additional hurdles, there is likelihood that some of these undesirable microorganisms will proliferate at refrigeration temperatures.
There are other potential hazards associated with certain refrigerated foods. For example, with modified atmosphere packaged (MAP) foods, the anaerobic environment limits growth of aerobic microorganisms which compete with pathogenic microorganisms. Since these aerobic microorganisms are limited or do not grow in MAP foods, certain pathogenic microorganisms may proliferate. Aerobic microorganisms are also often the
microorganisms that cause product spoilage. Because significant growth of aerobic microorganisms is prevented, MAP products may become unsafe without any visible signs of spoilage if not appropriately refrigerated or in the absence of additional hurdles.
Microbiological hazards can be controlled by a combination of inhibiting factors, called hurdles. These hurdles can assist in retarding or preventing growth of some microorganisms, including pathogenic microorganisms. Some of the hurdles in addition to refrigeration include: decreased pH and aw, and addition of preservatives.
