HACCP Methodology Implementation in a Goat Cheese Production Process of a Small Company

Abstract

Currently there is a growing interest in food safety, increasing the consumers demand level and thereafter the rising attention of the producers and authorities. The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) System is of compulsory application since 2006 and can effectively ensure food safety and quality, contributing to expand markets, and improve the manufacturers’ management level. The objective of this project was to implement the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system to the goat’s cheese production process of a small cheese plant. To guarantee the safety of cheese production, the biological, chemical, and physical hazards that may exist in cheese production were identified. Twenty-five of the total hazards identified in this study were considered as significant, having been subjected to a Decision Tree to determine the Critical Control Points (CCP), which are milk reception, salt reception, cardoon reception and pasteurization. After that, the critical limits, monitoring processes, corrective measures, records, and verifications were established. The results of the hazard analysis showed that most of the chemical hazards could be effectively controlled by an effective supplier selection. Concerning the main microbiological hazards – Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus – specific control measures must be implemented, namely temperature control, particularly in the pasteurization process. Hazard analysis provided the necessary basis for a rational choice of these specific control measures.