Themodeloffers software-assisted guidance through the procedureand
includes a databankon risk assessmentand problematic microorganismsin the
pulp,paperand packagingindustry. PaperHYGRAM’includes a background
information sheet of the factory, process and products to be evaluated, a
checklist for meeting the requirementsof GMP, an analysis tool for identifying,
describing and assessing the risk groupsof a HACCP programme(physical,
chemical, biologicaland microbiological risks) and additional riskgroups
chosen by the user.All necessary information can be documented in the model,
and it is easilyupdatedwhenchanges occurin the process.BothHYGRAM’
and PaperHYGRAM’currentlyexistin Finnish,but translation into Englishwill
be performedin the nearfuture.
24.4 Futuretrends
Basedon researchresultsobtainedhithertothe numbersof potentialpathogens
are verylow, most of the potentialpathogenshavebeenshown not to be virulent
and the migration of microorganismsfrompackagingmaterials into foodis very
unlikely. Furthermore the implementationand applicationof GMPand HACCP
principles in the paperand packagingindustry,as wellthe easyand practical
toolsunderdevelopmentto help industry in assessingand maintainingGMPand
HACCP programmes will ensure the hygiene and safetyof packagingmaterials
in the future.
Competencein microbiologyis required,however,to performreliablerisk
assessmentand to focusthe risk assessment measures efficientlyand cost-
effectively.Furthermoremicrobiologicalrisk assessment and risk management
activitiesat industrylevelrequire a significantamountof microbiologicalanalysis
performedby usingsufficientlysensitiveand rapiddetectionmethods.Traditional
cultivationmethodsare far too slowcomparedto the turnoverof fibre-based
productsand in manycasesare not sensitiveenoughto detectpathogensthat may
causeillnessat verylow concentration,and thereis thus a clearneedfor novel,
rapidand sensitivedetectionas wellas identificationmethods.
Overthe pastdecade manyimprovements havebeenseenin bothcon-
ventional and modern methodsfor the detectionand identificationof bacteriain
industrial environments (Maukonenet al., 2003).Phenotypic analyses± what an
organism lookslike,what it does,whatenzymaticactivitiesit has ± havetradi-
tionallyplayedan importantrole in bacterialidentification and classification.
However, bacteriaare small,contain relatively few structural cluesand the
physiologicalpropertiesmaybe changed. Thus,the genotypic analyseshave
beenfoundto be veryuseful and accuratein the identificationand classification
of thesebacteria.Effectiveuse of the typingmethods, however, requiresthat
goodidentification libraries are created. Isolatesare usuallywell adaptedto their
specificenvironments and do not possess the typicalcharacteristics of any
species hitherto described. In many cases the results of physiological,
chemotaxonomical (FAME (fatty acid methyl ester analysis), SDS PAGE
Managingcontaminationrisksfromfoodpackagingmaterials 391