Effektiv produksjon av muggfritt pinnekjøtt og spekemat

In 2013, 200 tons of Pinnekjøtt had to be withdrawn from the market due to mould growth on the product. To increase the knowledge about problem moulds in the production of pinnekjøtt and cured meat products and to identify infection sources and problem areas as well as to find effective and feasible measures to reduce the risk of mould growth on the products, the project "Efficient production of mould-free pinnekjøtt and cured meat products" was started up in 2015. Samplings at two production facilities were conducted in 2015 and 2016 (in addition to a pre-project in 2014). At both sites, a dominant flora was found which persisted over three seasons and the most important problem moulds were identified. As some of the isolated species are known to be able to produce the carcinogenic Ochratoxin A (OTA), chemical analysis were carried out at DTU and confirmed that some, but not all isolates, produced OTA at laboratory conditions, but only one of ten isolates produced OTA on cured ham. Further analysis at VI showed no OTA production, even at heavy mould growth. Experiments on growth media, smoked and non-smoked pinnekjøtt and cured ham showed that differences in humidity significantly affected mould growth on growth media and on the product. No mould growth was detected within three weeks at 78-85 % RH, while heavy growth was observed at > 90% RH. Additional experiments showed that periodic increases in humidity (e.g., six hours a day five days a week in connection with the cleaning) can increase the mould growth significantly. The experiments also showed that increased salt concentration reduces the mould growth; however the differences within the relevant values (8.5-11% for the finished product) were small. It is yet important to take this fact into account when developing new products with reduced salt content. Temporarily freezing and the use of starter cultures showed no effects on the growth of undesired moulds. Potassium sorbate inhibited mould growth. Dipping proved most efficient, but spraying also inhibited growth. Prolonged soaking of the product (90 min) did not result in any additional effect. Since moulds spread easily through the air, it is impossible to keep a production environment mould-free at any time. However, there are great differences between mould species, and many species do not pose a problem for product quality and safety. It is therefore important to have good detection tools that can identify early increases in occurrence of the undesired mould species. FTIR and MALDI-TOF were tested as methods for early detection of problem moulds and results showed that especially FTIR might be suited to screen large amounts of samples for specific mould species. While this method alone is not sufficient to identify all mould species it might help identifying increases in toxin-producing mould species. Furthermore, the production chains in the two plants were evaluated and areas with potential for improvement were identified. These included procedures for salting, rinsing and salt removal and storage conditions (room solutions, humidity, adaptations for specific product types). All points were reviewed with quality management and project management and as a result of these findings and the survival studies, several upgrades have been made in the facilities, especially to reduce humidity, resulting in reduced mould growth in the respective areas. Experiments showed that the amount of residual oxygen in the package is essential for the growth of the problem mould. Already at 0.05 ? 0,5 % oxygen, which is common in vacuum-or nitrogen-packed products, moulds can grow. Experiments showed that residual oxygen can be removed using O2 scavengers, thereby preventing mould growth. Also, the addition of CO2 in the packages (40 - 80 %, depending on the mould species) can inhibit mould growth, even with residual oxygen in the packages. One production facility encountered black mould on one of their products during winter. A visit combined with sampling was carried out, and black mould was found at several sites relevant for production. Advice regarding maintenance and air conditioning was given and will be implemented before the next production. A second visit after comprehensive cleaning showed reduced mould presence on working surfaces, but continuous cleaning will be necessary to maintain low mould levels. The final project meeting was held at one of the production facilities 10.10.2018 with participants from VI, Nofima, Nortura and the involved producers. At this opportunity, employees were invited and participated in an educational lecture and discussion about mould.

Ingen større utfordringer med uønsket muggvekst i våre fabrikker siden 2016. i tillegg Økt kunnskap og bevissthet blant alle ansatte Økt samhandling mellom anleggene Økt kompetanse og kontroll over husmugg i møte med mattilsynet Redusert bruk av tid og bemanning for aktiv fjerning av mugg på produkter (ca. ½ årsverk per anlegg) Færre kundeklager og reklamasjoner på mugg Redusere fukt i anlegg ved å utnytte ventilasjon og klimaskap bedre. Bedre ventilasjon ved vask av lokaler. (fjerne fukt) Redusere spredning av muggsporer Mer målretta renhold av lokaler, røykeskap og klimaskap. Mindre håndtering av produkt med mugg. Bedre produktkvalitet. Kjennskap til hvilke type mugg vi har i anlegget. Bedre forståelse for hvor «problem-områdene» er. Bedre forståelse for innførte tiltak.

Hovedmål for prosjektet er å redusere forekomst av mugg på pinnekjøtt ved økt kunnskap om nye muggsopp under norske forhold, videreutvikling av sporingsteknologi og bruk av pilotproduksjonsanlegg for å bygge opp prosesskunnskap. Innledende analyser av pinnekjøtt viser en mykobiota som er veldig lite kjent under norske forhold. Det er betydelige innslag av aspergillusarter, som er varmeelskende sopper, og årsakene til dette er ikke kjent. Bruk av importerte råvarer og klimaendringer er blant mulige årsaksfaktorer. Det er derfor behov for å undersøke hele produksjonsprosessen fra råvarer og ingredienser til fysisk produksjonsmiljø for å finne assosiert mykobiota og kilder til denne. Økt kunnskap om biologiske og fysiologiske egenskaper til assosiert mykobiota er en forutsetning for å finne ut om det er produksjonstekniske virkemidler, f.eks. knyttet til råvaretransport, tørkeprosesser eller emballering som kan være gunstig for å redusere problemet med mugning. I dette arbeidet vil vi bl.a. benytte Pathogen Pilot Plant på Campus Ås, som vil kunne gi prosesskunnskap basert på produksjon i pilotskala. I et slikt pilotanlegg kan problemmugg tilføres produktet og ulike prosessbetingelser, utstyr og pakketekniske betingelser kan varieres for å se på oppvekst av problemmugg. Dette vil tilføre ny kunnskap om mugning av spekemat internasjonalt. I dag undersøkes muggstatus i pinnekjøttproduksjonen kun ved stikkprøvekontroll, og dette er ikke tilstrekkelig for å fange opp et muggproblem i tidlig fase. Det er derfor behov for å utvikle mer optimale og effektive sporingssystemer for uønsket muggsopp. I dette prosjektet vil vi videreutvikle ny teknologi til bruk i prøvetakingen slik at pinnekjøttprodusentene kan få en reell analyse av status fortløpende. Dette kunne være nyttig for kjøttbransjen både nasjonalt og internasjonalt.