CRP - Irradiation to ensure safety and quality prepared meals

Food and Environmental Protection

Irradiation to ensure safety and quality prepared meals

Objective:

The overall objective of this CRP is to evaluate the effectiveness of irradiation as a method to ensure the microbiological safety and extend the shelf-life of prepared meals, stored under ambient, chilled or frozen conditions and to evaluate the sensory quality of the treated products.
The specific objective of this CRP is to use validated procedures for irradiation treatment and process control, and to use validated methods for assessing microbiological safety and quality as well as sensory evaluation of prepared meals mainly ethnic origin.

Activities:

Selection of producers/prepared meals to be studied
First RCM (10 - 14 June 2002. Vienna. Austria)
To determine the microbiological profiles of the prepared meals selected using validated methods
To determine the effectiveness of irradiation to ensure microbiological safety and shelf-life of the prepared meals stored either at ambient, chilled or frozen conditions, using validated methods
Evaluate sensorial quality of irradiated prepared meals among immunocompromissed patients and general public
Transfer results to the food industry
To introduce a modified Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points analysis route for irradiated prepared meals
Consumer studies
Second RCM (26 - 30 April 2004. Pretoria, South Africa)
Third RCM to evaluate the results obtained and make recommendations. ( Place and date to be determined. First Semester 2006)
Publication of a TECDOC (2006)

Participants:

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Reports:

Report of the First RCM, Vienna, Austria, June 2002(pdf).
Report of the Second RCM, Pretoria, South Africa, April 2004(pdf).

Project Officer:

Tatiana Rubio C.