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PASTA AND SEMOLINA TECHNOLOGY
case of finished product checks that will demonstrate compliance with specification and safety, the records need to be precise and give full traceability back to the manufactured product. If the test is not recorded, or cannot be found, the work carried out will have been in vain. Once again the areas to be examined can be divided into product safety and quality.
8.5.1 Safety checks 8.5.1.1 Moisture content The key safety criterion in dried pasta is moisture content. Failure to achieve a reduction to 12.5% will leave the product open to microbial attack. A regime to check the finished product off all lines on a very regular basis is essential to ensure the production of safe product. The methods used for checking the moisture content of product are detailed in section 8.4.7. Once again the calibration of whichever rapid technique is employed to a recognised standard is essential to demonstrate overall control.
8.5.1.2 Microbiology The risks of microbiological problems in correctly dried pasta are low, particularly with the use of modern high-temperature dryers. However, they are not non-existent, and problems which exist in the raw materials or in the process (as described in section 8.4.4) can result in either the presence of pathogenic bacteria or their toxin in the dry pasta. It is therefore necessary to carry out a regular microbiological examination of finished pasta, both to spot the presence of harmful bacteria and to examine trends on, for example, total viable count or moulds which might be indicative of problems occurring in the process or the environment. An example of this was a sharp increase noted in total viable count on three pasta lines in one factory at the same time. Subsequent investigations eventually revealed a fault in an air conditioning system using untreated and recycled water. It is now generally accepted that product from a dry pasta line should be examined on a regular basis for the following: total viable count yeasts and moulds coliforms Staphylococcus aureus Bacillus cereus Clostridium perfringens. A random check for Salmonella is also sensible, particularly if lowtemperature lines are still employed or egg pasta is produced.