524 Chapter 30
It is important for an HACCP team to
know what kind of product or products they
are actually dealing with to develop their
HACCP plans (Table 30.1 ), and how and by
whom they will be consumed (Mortimore
and Wallace 1997 ).Technology: Process Description and
Flow Diagram
Before initiating the design of an HACCP
plan, a technological fl ow diagram for each
product, depicting all pertinent manufactur-
ing steps from the reception of raw materials
to fi nal product, from receiving to shipping,
should be outlined by the HACCP team. This
diagram is a simple schematic picture of the
process used in the plant to produce the
product. It does not need to be complex.
The best way to make sure that your spe-
cifi c fl ow diagram is accurate (correct and
complete) is to verify it carefully by the
HACCP team walking through the plant and
making sure all the steps in the process are
included in the fl ow diagram (Blumberg
2008 ). The fl ow diagram will be used for
hazard analysis after being validated on the
premises.
The technology of process description
must comply with all specifi ed good hygiene
and manufacturing practices for the elabora-
tion of a specifi c fresh sausage (Fig. 30.1 ) or
cooked ham (Fig. 30.2 ), as defi ned in the
pre - requirements.Hazards Identifi cation and Analysis
A hazard is defi ned as a biological, chemical,
or physical agent that is reasonably likely to
cause illness or injury in the absence of its
control (FAO 1997 ).
A hazard analysis is conducted to develop
a list of hazards that may be reasonably
expected to occur at each step of the food
process and, in the present case, in a meat
product process from the reception of allferent countries. To achieve the best profi t-
ability, a meat - processing industry usually
tries to get the best valorization from all
pieces of a pork carcass and other ingredients
by producing a diversity of meat products
that could be classifi ed in different groups,
according to the particular technology used,
as fresh, cooked (cured or meat emulsions or
fi nely comminuted meat), fermented/dry/
smoked, and cured/dry meat products (Raken
2000 ). Regarding these different products,
different HACCP plans specifi c to a certain
product, process, and enterprise need to be
developed. Even so, in many cases, several
product lines are so similar that they can be
grouped together in generic models. A
generic HACCP model for fermented meat
sausages has been presented in a previous
work (Fraqueza et al. 2007 ); so to avoid rep-
etition, generic models of HACCP plans for
a fresh meat product (fresh sausage) and for
a cooked meat product (cooked ham) will be
presented as examples here.
There is a great diversity of fresh sau-
sages, with different recipes and different
denominations in different countries. Never-
theless, these sausages have in common a
sequence of process steps. Thus, fresh sau-
sages (Table 30.1 ) are the end product of
ground pork meat mixed with fat, salt, pre-
servatives (sulphite), and seasonings (pepper,
garlic, or other spices) and stuffed into natural
or collagen casings. These sausages are mar-
keted without the assurance of a lethal heat
treatment. Other types of meat such as
poultry, beef, or lamb can be used with
similar seasoning and processing.
Cooked ham is an international meat
product consumed by many people and very
popular among children and young people.
This product (Table 30.1 ) is made from
leg or shoulder deboned meat, injected with
a brine (prepared with cold water, salt,
fl avors, polyphosphates, and nitrite) and
cooked for a specifi c time period to assure
completed protein coagulation and color
development.