Microbiological criteria: principles for their establishment and application in food safety
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/arbor.2020.795n1001Keywords:
microbial contamination, risk-based metrics, sampling plans, risk management, microbiological limit, acceptance probabilityAbstract
Legislation on food safety has led to the standardisation of food production which, together with existing quality certifications, aim to increase the level for protection of public health. The need is recognized for the agri-food industry to have tools to harmonize their production and to adequately manage their quality systems in order to increase consumers’ confidence. The implementation of microbiological criteria is focused on facilitating this harmonization by enabling differentiation of defective lots and acting as control tools at the industrial level. Therefore, knowledge on the principles, components and factors influencing the efficiency of microbiological criteria may be helpful to better understand the consequences of their application. In the present paper the main principles, methodologies and applications of microbiological criteria in foods are addressed for their implementation as part of management quality systems in agri-food industries. In addition, potential limitations and impacts of microbiological criteria on food safety are discussed.
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References
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