558 Chapter 31
conformance with legal requirements. ... The
recipe mentioned in the customer fi nished
product specifi cation shall be complied with.
... There shall be a procedure for the amend-
ment and approval of specifi cations ” (IFS
2007 ). A typical specifi cation for the fi nal
products should address:- compliance with legal requirements and
standards - pH and water activity (or weight loss),
where appropriate (in particular with fer-
mented and/or dried products) - selected sensory properties (such as color,
fi rmness) - macronutrients (protein, moisture, fat, car-
bohydrates, collagen, ash), with tolerances
and methods of analysis - micronutrients (where appropriate)
- packaging material
- instructions to the customer (intended use,
shelf life, storage conditions, etc)
Systematic testing of whether the fi nal
products meet their specifi cations is also
required by various standards (e.g., IFS
2007 ) and is useful to verify that the produc-
tion process was under control, but end -
product testing can never replace control
measures and process monitoring. Sampling
plans should be risk based, and the parame-
ters used for end - product testing should be fi t
for purpose (i.e., provide a maximum of
information with minimum input); standards
referring to the absence of pathogens (salmo-
nellae, Listeria monocytogenes ) from the
fi nal products are, for example, defi ned in the
Regulation (EC) 2073/2005 on microbiologi-
cal criteria for foodstuffs. A product quaran-
tine until test results are available may be
useful if the product is suffi ciently stable and
the time for analysis is suffi ciently short.
Concluding Remarks
A functional quality - assurance system pro-
vides many benefi ts to the meat processor. It(preferably below 0.5%). This is achieved by
packaging under vacuum or under a modifi ed
atmosphere containing about 70% N 2 and
30% CO 2. Moreover, the oxygen permeabil-
ity of the packaging material should be below
25 ml m^ −^2 d^ −^1 , or even lower if a shelf life of
more than 1 month is desired (Stiebing 1992 ).
However, mold - ripened, raw dry products
should be packaged in material suffi ciently
permeable to oxygen.
The integrity of the packages should be
checked by testing samples for leakage and/
or inspecting their seams. Appropriate label-
ing is important, not only to inform the con-
sumer but also for tracking the batch
“ downstream. ” If problems occur, the batch
concerned may be recalled specifi cally, and
the damage to the processor is limited.
High - throughput slicing and packaging
lines often include a check weigher and a
metal detector. Both should be regularly
checked for proper performance.
The necessary storage temperature
depends on the type of products. Retail cuts,
minced meat, and ready - to - cook fresh meats
should be stored below 2 ° C. Cooked perish-
able products should be stored at 5 ° C, prefer-
ably at 2 ° C, to extend shelf life. Most
fermented sausages and hams are stored at
10 ° to 15 ° C; undried fermented sausages
may require a storage temperature at 7 ° C or
below, whereas products dried to lower water
activities (e.g., sausages with a w below 0.90)
or commercially sterile (canned) products
may be stored at ambient temperatures
( ≤ 25 ° C). Illumination in display cabinets
may be detrimental to fat quality, and the
light intensity should be adjusted to below
600 lux.
End Product Specifi cations
and Testing
A detailed description of all products is part
of the HACCP procedure and is also required
by various standards. They shall be “ up to
date, unambiguous, available and always in