Principles of Food Sanitation

from insects, birds, rodents, or other vermin
or through the introduction of filth or other
contaminants. To reduce contamination
from raw materials being received, product
evaluation is essential. Although moisture
content may be determined objectively
through the analysis for percentage of mois-
ture, a subjective evaluation should also be
conducted. A sour or musty odor can result
from mold growth, which indicates high
moisture content in products such as cereal
grains. Such a discovery indicates that addi-
tional inspection should be conducted, with
sampling to identify the specific characteris-
tics of the problem. Cereal grains above
15.5% moisture should not be put in long-
term storage because of potential insect
development and mold growth. Evaluation
of products being received should also
include checking for pesticide odors that
may be associated with the presence of
insects. The inspection process should also
determine whether the pesticide has made
the product unacceptable.
Samples taken when materials are received
should be evaluated to determine the
amount of individual kernels that are dam-
aged by insects. Further examination should
be conducted to determine amounts of dust
and other foreign material, webbing, evi-
dence of molds and odors, live and dead
insects, rodent droppings, and rodent-dam-
aged kernels. These defects can be deter-
mined through visual inspection. Internal
infestation in the form of immature insects
inside of the kernels can be determined with
X-ray equipment or by cracking-flotation
methods. Samples should also be examined
for rodent filth, such as droppings and hair.
The inspection of inbound goods is an
appropriate prevention measure to reduce
pest damage because incoming items can
contaminate the end product. Because pests
or their contamination can enter buildings as
“hitchhikers,” incoming ingredients, packag-

ing materials, pallets, and machinery should

be inspected. A food processor has the right

to reject any materials coming into the plant

or to hold any questionable shipment for fur-

ther evaluation. Decisions related to rejec-

tion should be made by qualified personnel.

Product Storage and Stock Rotation

Foods and other materials should be

received into a processing plant or ware-

house for handling or storage in a way that

will facilitate cleaning and the implementa-

tion of insect, rodent, and other sanitary

controls. Effective procedures for stock rota-

tion appropriate to the specific food should

be adopted and implemented. Damaged

foods should be promptly detected, identi-

fied, and separated from other products for

additional inspection, sorting, and disposi-

tion. If any product is determined to present

a contamination hazard to other foods, it

should be removed from the facility

promptly.

Many of the low-moisture food processing

plants store material such as grain for pro-

cessing. According to Troller (1993), grain is

the commodity stored in the greatest volume

in the United States. Unfortunately, when

grain is stored, it initially contains mold

spores and insect eggs in enough quantity to

infest and damage the product if specific

environmental conditions occur. Physical

damage to the kernel itself can allow entry of

infesting or infecting agents. Biological dam-

age from insects through penetration of the

kernel permits fungal entry through inocula-

tion of the inner tissues.

Grain to be placed in storage for more

than 1 month should receive special treat-

ment. In addition to being inspected for ver-

ification that infestation and infection has

not occurred, it is necessary to maintain a

maximum of 13.5% moisture content. These

authors suggest that cleaning the grain

before storage using aspiration or other

Low-Moisture Food Manufacturing and Storage Sanitation 273