Food Manufacturing Plants Research Articles

Identification of Hazards and Safety Measures in Food Processing Industry

The investigation of this study mainly target the food manufacturing machinery equipment’s by conducting the risk assessment to identify high potential risk areas . The Risk assessment was carried out by using a tool known as MACHINE SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT (MSRA) (Machine Safety Risk Assessment) .The focus of the work is an analysis of work demands being placed on Food manufacturing industry to the Limited workers, as there is a potential problems. MACHINE SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT (MSRA) tool helps to identify the problems in a machine by directly investigating with the workers. In this investigation some major 25 machineries are taken for the assessments purpose. With the help of this investigations the major high potential hazards and most potential machinery areas can be easily identified. The results of this machinery risk assessments should be communicated to all relevant persons or groups who were not themselves involved in completing the assessment. Depending on the nature and scope of the assessment, this could include personnel directly involved in the activities, as well as those responsible for supervising or managing the activities. Communication is typically best carried out by the individual(s) who lead the risk assessment. The assessment concludes about 54% of hazards are happened due to the packing machinery sections, 24% of accidents causes in mixing machinery units while the oven and loading area reaches 10 to 12% of the accidents in the food manufacturing plants.

…From the Editor

In most every aspect of life, there's much to be gained by taking the long view. Also when it comes to business, the experiences of the remarkably long-lived firms in Japan known as shinise offer particular lessons in endurance and adaptability. Beginning on page 6, three U.S.-based management professors, Keiko Krahnke, Isaac Wanasika, and Brandon William Soltwisch, examine the characteristics that have enabled three venerable firms in Kyoto to thrive for so long, and highlight similarities in some traditional, albeit younger, American organizations. Nurturing an enterprise, whether young or old, requires a high degree of passion for business. On page 15, Muhammad Arshad, Omer Farooq, and Sadia Afzal tap into a study of 100 university students in Pakistan to explore the role that business schools can play in cultivating the zeal that's required to succeed in a competitive environment. Essential to any field of endeavor, higher education can have a dark side, however, according to Nick Forster and Daniel W. Lund (page 22). In their analysis of functional psychopathic behavior in institutes of higher learning, they point out the need to address manipulative conduct in colleges and universities, and offer practical guidance on how to foster a professional working environment that's collegial in every sense of the word. This issue spotlights Malaysia with a trio of case studies that detail how a variety of organizations are meeting day-to-day operational challenges in a rapidly developing, multicultural environment that attracts millions of workers from across the Asian continent. On page 32, Yen Loo Tan and Cheng Ling Tan demonstrate how lean techniques offered a toy manufacturer the promise of cutting waste to improve the efficiency of its production processes. For the leaders of a food manufacturing plant, explain Vimalambigai Muthusamy and Siti Zaleha Abdul Rasid (page 41), cutting back on the company's reliance on unskilled migrant workers and revamping its recruitment strategies to attract skilled local personnel helped improve retention rates and reduce the need for costly retraining. Finally, Muhammad Awais Bhatti, Ariff Syah Juhari, and Waheed Ali Umrani show how the HR managers at Aerospace Composites Malaysia achieved their retention goals among Generation Xers and Yers by customizing the company's training and development programs to workers of all ages (page 47). With this issue, we at GBOE bid a fond farewell to a long-time Editorial Advisory Board member and prolific contributor, Yvonne McNulty, and thank her for her dedication and service to the journal over the years. We also welcome three new Editorial Advisory Board members: Thomas E. Conine, Jr., president of TRI Corporation in Easton, Connecticut; Mary Gendron, senior vice president and managing director of Mower in New York City; Sajjad Jasimuddin, professor of management at KEDGE Business School in Marseille, France; and Mark Heymann, chairman and CEO of UniFocus in Dallas, Texas. Taking a long view, we look forward to their valued input in the years to come.

Correlating physiochemical quality characteristics to consumer hedonic perception of traditional Doenjang (fermented soybean paste) in Korea

AbstractThe objective of this study was in twofold: (a) to determine the physiochemical quality characteristics of Doenjang samples manufactured by different methods and (b) to determine the relationship between these characteristics and consumer acceptability. Furthermore, consumer acceptability of the Doenjang samples according to the participant's region of residency (northern vs. southeastern) was investigated. A total of six Doenjang samples were included in this study: Two commercially produced Doenjang products (C1 and C2), three traditionally produced Doenjang products (T1, T2, and T3), and one Japanese‐style Doenjang product (M1). Physiochemical properties including moisture content, pH, salinity, acid value, titratable acidity, amino type nitrogen (NH3‐N) content, reducing sugar and total sugar content, alcohol content, and color measurements (L*, a*, b*), were conducted. In addition, enzymatic activities and microbial activities were analyzed. Consumer acceptance testing on these Doenjang samples was conducted in different locations of South Korea (north and southeast). No differences in consumer preference were found based on the testing location (p > .05). However, differences in physiochemical quality parameters that are important for different region were observed. Consumer preference in the northern region was driven by color‐related attributes while consumer preference in the southeastern region was driven by the sweetness of the Doenjang samples.Practical applicationsPhysiochemical quality characteristics are practically easy‐to‐collect data in the food manufacturing plant for routine quality control process. This study provided the potential to use of objective physiochemical quality control‐related data to predict the consumer preferences of Doenjang, and also reported the different quality attributes that drive consumer preferences of Doenjang according to the location of residency. Outcome of this study: (a) allows Doenjang industry to predict the consumer preferences according to the quality‐related attributes of traditional Doenjang and (b) provides information to strategically design the Doenjang products according to the consumers' preferences in different regions of Korea.

Potential for residual load balancing of a frozen food manufacturing plant – A heuristic approach

We simulated the potential of a frozen food manufacturing plant to contribute to the balancing of the residual load under the premise that the plant’s production processes remain unaffected. The plant’s technical balancing options comprise both demand side management (chillers for process cold, electric process heat generation) and dispatchable power generation (by a combined heat and power (CHP) plant). In the model, the decoupling of useful energy demand (heat and cold) from power consumption and power generation was enabled by the use of a high temperature thermal energy storage (HT-TES), a cold thermal energy storage (C-TES), and flexible cold storage warehouse temperatures. The analysis shows that the balancing potential basically depends on two factors: (1) plant operation (reflected by gross power demand and power generation) in the inflexible reference case, which defines to which extend power demand and generation can be increased or reduced when the plant is operated flexibly, and (2) the capacity of the thermal energy storages (TES) relative to the typical length of deficit and surplus periods. The model further shows that a heuristic algorithm controlling the operation of the plant’s flexible units can exploit a large fraction of the technical balancing potential of the plant.

Towards realizing robotic potential in future intelligent food manufacturing systems

Abstract This paper provides a comprehensive review of the robotic potential that is foreseen by researchers in designing future food manufacturing plant. The present day food handling and packaging setup is limited in capacity and output due to manual processing. An optimized protocol to fetch various ingredients and shape them in a final product by passing through various stages in an automated processing plant while simultaneously ensuring high quality and hygienic environment is merely possible by using robotized processing. The review also highlights the possibilities and limitations of introducing these high technology robots in the food sector. A comparison of several robots from different classes is listed with major technical parameters. However, as predicted, a food cyber-physical production system (CPPS) visualizes a closed loop system for the desired output keeping in view various constraints and risks. Human machine interface (HMI) for these machines complies with the industrial safety standards to provide a fail safe production cycle. Various new horizons in research and development of food robots are also highlighted in the upcoming industrial paradigm.

Effect of manure utilisation preferences on the sustainability of model network of chicken meat and egg producing and consuming businesses

A conceptual network of chicken meat and egg producing and consuming businesses consisting of a chicken farm, a restaurant, a pet food manufacturing plant, a vegetable garden, an olive garden, a grain field and a manure gasifier was assessed in terms of cumulative degree of performance (CDP) and cumulative carbon dioxide emission (CCO2). Five different cases with different resource utilisation preferences were assessed. Case 1 was the base line, where manure was not gasified and chemical fertilisers were used in agriculture. In case 1, CDP and CCO2 were 0.66 and 7,500 kgCO2/year, respectively. As chemical fertilisers were replaced with microbial fertilisers and manure was gasified sustainability improved. In case 5, only microbial fertilisers were used in agriculture and the manure was gasified. The highest CDP, 1.05, and the lowest CCO2, 2,539 kgCO2/year, were obtained in case 5, therefore, it was regarded as the most sustainable case, among the alternatives assessed.

Insights into the Geobacillus stearothermophilus species based on phylogenomic principles

BackgroundThe genus Geobacillus comprises bacteria that are Gram positive, thermophilic spore-formers, which are found in a variety of environments from hot-springs, cool soils, to food manufacturing plants, including dairy manufacturing plants. Despite considerable interest in the use of Geobacillus spp. for biotechnological applications, the taxonomy of this genus is unclear, in part because of differences in DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) similarity values between studies. In addition, it is also difficult to use phenotypic characteristics to define a bacterial species. For example, G. stearothermophilus was traditionally defined as a species that does not utilise lactose, but the ability of dairy strains of G. stearothermophilus to use lactose has now been well established.ResultsThis study compared the genome sequences of 63 Geobacillus isolates and showed that based on two different genomic approaches (core genome comparisons and average nucleotide identity) the Geobacillus genus could be divided into sixteen taxa for those Geobacillus strains that have genome sequences available thus far. In addition, using Geobacillus stearothermophilus as an example, we show that inclusion of the accessory genome, as well as phenotypic characteristics, is not suitable for defining this species. For example, this is the first study to provide evidence of dairy adaptation in G. stearothermophilus - a phenotypic feature not typically considered standard in this species - by identifying the presence of a putative lac operon in four dairy strains.ConclusionsThe traditional polyphasic approach of combining both genotypic and phenotypic characteristics to define a bacterial species could not be used for G. stearothermophilus where many phenotypic characteristics vary within this taxon. Further evidence of this discordant use of phenotypic traits was provided by analysis of the accessory genome, where the dairy strains contained a putative lac operon. Based on the findings from this study, we recommend that novel bacterial species should be defined using a core genome approach.

The Current Status of Thai Food Manufacturing Plants Certified to BRC Standard

The Current Status of Thai Food Manufacturing Plants Certified to BRC Standard

Design of solar energy system in food manufacturing environment

Abstract Global climate change has driven many manufacturing organizations to consider renewable energy as an alternative source of power for their operations. However, the instability and unpredictability of renewable energy has made it difficult to design an optimal solution. This is particularly critical for food manufacturing which is constrained by timing and seasonable fluctuations. This paper describes a feasibility study of offsetting grid supplied power by local generation using a roof top photovoltaic system. The study shows that the company can significantly reduce their carbon emitting energy usage by a 100 kW photovoltaic solar system that helps to reduce the annual electricity consumption by 39%. The system sizing methodology has taken into account the load profile of the food manufacturing plant and seasonal solar energy availability with the constrain to consume all solar power immediately.

Green and Emission Free Manufacturing: Application of Grid Connected Solar Photovoltaic Technologies in Food Manufacturing Plant

Green and Emission Free Manufacturing: Application of Grid Connected Solar Photovoltaic Technologies in Food Manufacturing Plant

Promising Nucleic Acid Lateral Flow Assay Plus PCR for Shiga Toxin-ProducingEscherichia coli

Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a frequent cause of foodborne infections, and methods for rapid and reliable detection of STEC are needed. A nucleic acid lateral flow assay (NALFA) plus PCR was evaluated for detecting STEC after enrichment. When cell suspensions of 45 STEC strains, 14 non-STEC strains, and 13 non-E. coli strains were tested with the NALFA plus PCR, all of the STEC strains yielded positive results, and all of the non-STEC and non-E. coli strains yielded negative results. The lower detection limit for the STEC strains ranged from 0.1 to 1 pg of genomic DNA (about 20 to 200 CFU) per test, and the NALFA plus PCR was able to detect Stx1- and Stx2-producing E. coli strains with similar sensitivities. The ability of the NALFA plus PCR to detect STEC in enrichment cultures of radish sprouts, tomato, raw ground beef, and beef liver inoculated with 10-fold serially diluted STEC cultures was comparable to that of a real-time PCR assay (at a level of 100 to 100,000 CFU/ml in enrichment culture). The bacterial inoculation test in raw ground beef revealed that the lower detection limit of the NALFA plus PCR was also comparable to that obtained with a real-time PCR assay that followed the U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. Although further evaluation is required, these results suggest that the NALFA plus PCR is a specific and sensitive method for detecting STEC in a food manufacturing plant.

Quantitative Validation of Two Novel Selective Media for the Enumeration of B acillus cereus in Naturally Contaminated Fermented Sauce Samples

We compared two novel selective media, blood–yolk–polymyxin B–trimethoprim agar (BYPTA) and modified mannitol–yolk–polymyxin B agar (mMYPA), with mannitol–yolk–polymyxin B agar (MYPA) for the isolation and enumeration of Bacillus cereus in naturally contaminated Korean fermented sauce samples such as red pepper paste, soybean paste, ssamjang and chunggukjang. A total of 81 fermented sauce samples were purchased from a local retail market in Seoul, South Korea. No statistical differences were observed in quantitative enumeration and isolation rates (P > 0.05) among the three selective media. However, BYPTA and mMYPA exhibited higher selectivity than MYPA in excluding the background microflora. In addition, BYPTA (22/81, 27%) and mMYPA (21/81, 26%) detected more fermented sauces with unacceptable levels of B. cereus than MYPA (16/81, 20%) suggesting that the two novel selective media could be used to efficiently detect unacceptable levels of B. cereus in Korean fermented sauce. The two novel selective media could be powerful tools to enumerate the level of B. cereus in fermented sauce samples that have a high level of background microflora. Practical Applications In previous studies, we developed two novel selective media, BYPTA and mMYPA for the enumeration of Bacillus cereus in foods. It is well known that naturally fermented Korean soybean sauces are commonly contaminated with B. cereus, and a high level of background microflora in these foods could behave competitively during the detection of B. cereus. These sauces are also commonly consumed without additional heat treatment. Therefore, highly specific and sensitive media for the enumerative detection of B. cereus in the fermented sauces are needed. In this study, we found that the two novel selective media exhibited greater selectivities and isolation capabilities for B. cereus in the fermented sauces than MYPA. In addition, BYPTA and mMYPA detected more fermented sauces with unacceptable levels of B. cereus than MYPA. We recommend these two media be used in food manufacturing plants and food safety authorities to monitor B. cereus in fermented sauces that have a high level of background microflora.

Mobile technology-enhanced asset maintenance in an SME

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to develop a prototype system to demonstrate the potential benefits of deploying mobile technology to enhance asset maintenance processes in a small food manufacturing plant.Design/methodology/approach– Design, development and deployment of a solution using open-source resources aimed at demonstrating improved asset maintenance functionality to principal stakeholders in a food manufacturing plant.Findings– The development of a prototype system supporting user interaction via a mobile phone demonstrates the potential benefits of more flexible data capture and improved information management which offer clear advantages over the limitations imposed by a stand-alone terminal.Research limitations/implications– The solution was developed as a prototype. In this respect it serves to illustrate system benefits but more work is needed to extend system functionality.Practical implications– Issues concerning data security and questions surrounding a suitable deployment platform would need to be addressed in deploying this technology.Originality/value– The research demonstrates that mobile technology can successfully be utilised to enhance asset maintenance in a small manufacturing plant by improving data capture and information management. These initiatives are likely to be of interest to other SMEs seeking to enhance asset maintenance processes.

Lumpy investments and capital adjustment patterns in the food manufacturing industry

This paper investigates investment patterns and the types of capital adjustment cost in the U.S. food manufacturing plants. The study first documents the lumpy nature of investment rates and shows that few investment incidents at plant-level contribute to a large portion of aggregate investment, indicating the importance of large investments in the food manufacturing industry. Further, the paper presents econometric evidence for the nature of capital adjustment costs by estimating an investment hazard model which determines both the probability of having an investment spike and the factors affecting lumpy investments. The results support the presence of both convex and non-convex components of capital adjustment costs. While the importance of lumpy investments at the plant-level support for a non-convex component of adjustment cost, the empirical estimation of hazard function shows downward-sloping shape (i.e., negative duration dependence) which demonstrates the existence of a convex component as well.

Linking investment spikes and productivity growth

We investigate the relationship between productivity growth and investment spikes using Census Bureau’s plant-level dataset for the U.S. food manufacturing industry. There are differences in productivity growth and investment spike patterns across different sub-industries and food manufacturing industry in general. Our study finds empirical support for the learning-by-doing hypothesis by identifying some cases where the impact of investment spikes on TFP growth presents a U-shaped investment age–productivity growth pattern. However, efficiency and the learning period associated with investment spikes differ among plants across industries. The most pronounced impact of investment age on productivity growth (5.3 % for meat products, 4% for dairy products, and 2.8 % in all food manufacturing plants) occurs during the fifth year of post-investment spike. Thus, in general, the productivity gains tend to be fully realized with a 5-year technology learning period for this industry.

Potential of jackfruit peel as precursor for activated carbon prepared by microwave induced NaOH activation

The feasibility of preparing activated carbon (JPAC) from jackfruit peel, an industrial residue abundantly available from food manufacturing plants via microwave-assisted NaOH activation was explored. The influences of chemical impregnation ratio, microwave power and radiation time on the properties of activated carbon were investigated. JPAC was examined by pore structural analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption isotherm, elemental analysis, surface acidity/basicity and zeta potential measurements. The adsorptive behavior of JPAC was quantified using methylene blue as model dye compound. The best conditions resulted in JPAC with a monolayer adsorption capacity of 400.06mg/g and carbon yield of 80.82%. The adsorption data was best fitted to the pseudo-second-order equation, while the adsorption mechanism was well described by the intraparticle diffusion model. The findings revealed the versatility of jackfruit peels as good precursor for preparation of high quality activated carbon.

Evaluation and Lessons Learned From Full Scale Water Recovery and Reuse Project at a Food Manufacturing Plant

Evaluation and Lessons Learned From Full Scale Water Recovery and Reuse Project at a Food Manufacturing Plant

Thermal destruction of Listeria monocytogenes in liquid egg products with heat treatment at lower temperature and longer than pasteurization

Today food manufacturing plants prefer „ready-for-use” liquid egg products to whole eggs. These are easier to use since one should not deal with breaking and storing the egg shell contaminated by faeces. However the shelf life of liquid egg products containing no preservatives is relatively short, there is a need to elaborate new technologies – like the long term (6 to 24 h) heat treatment of liquid egg products on 53 to 55°C. In our measurements we infected non-heat treated liquid egg samples from food industrial plant (liquid egg white, liquid egg yolk, liquid whole egg) with Listeria monocytogenes strain (NCAIM B1371) and incubated at 53 and 55°C. Then dilution plate pouring was performed with Brain Heart Infusion agar for live germ count measurement every 30 min for 6 h and then after 24 h. We observed live germ count reduction of more than 6 orders of magnitude in all liquid egg products even after 6-hour treatment. It was investigated if the new technology can be used to reduce live L. monocytogenes count also in products already heat treated or heat treated and stored in refrigerator. Our results have shown that preliminary pasteurization or pasteurization and storing in refrigerator only slightly increased the thermal resistance of L. monocytogenes. Keywords: Listeria, liquid egg, heat reatment.

Cross-Contamination of Foods and Implications for Food Allergic Patients

Cross-contamination presents a risk of unknown magnitude for food allergic consumers. Published cases likely represent the tip of a rather large iceberg. Cross-contamination can occur in homes, restaurants, food manufacturing plants, and on farms. The frequency of cross-contamination as the cause of accidental exposures to allergenic foods is unknown. Food allergic individuals can react to ingestion of trace levels of the offending food, although a highly variable range of threshold doses exist among populations of food allergic individuals. The magnitude of the risk posed to food allergic consumers by cross-contamination is characterized by the frequency of exposure to cross-contaminated foods, the dose of exposure, and the individual's threshold dose. The food and food service industry (and food preparers in homes as well) have the responsibility to provide and prepare foods that are safe for food allergic consumers, but quality of life may be improved with the recognition that safe (though very low) thresholds do exist.

飼料および食品製造施設で用いるサルモネラ属菌分離のための遅延二次増菌培養法の評価

飼料および食品製造施設で使用するサルモネラ属菌の効率的な分離法を確立するために，家禽衛生の分野で実績のあるHTTを用いたDSE法の評価を行った．油粕の計182検体を用いて，前増菌培養液および選択増菌培地容量の増量による検出状況を評価した．検査結果が異なった検体は2検体(1.1%)であり，χ2-検定の結果，両培地容量を用いた方法に有意差はなかった(p<0.05).油糧原料および環境ふき取り材料の計126検体を用いた評価では，DSE法は18検体(14.3%)からサルモネラ属菌が検出され，最も検出率が高かった．次いで，HTT-DHL法およびHTT-CAS法で，ともに16検体(12.7%)から検出された．なお，DSE法はHTTの1回培養では分離できなかったO抗原群菌を複数の試料で確認することができた．DSE法は検出感度が高く，分離株の血清群は従来の増菌培養法とは異なる可能性のあることが示唆された．また，簡便な手法であるため，疫学解析を目的とした増菌培養法として非常に有効であると考える．