Is there a clostridium botulinum risk in pasteurised egg?
Hi,
Apologies if this seems a daft question, but clostridium botulinum can be found in poultry products, hence the 2017 UK reg for control in vac packed products with life over 10 days. I'm cooking it to the equivalent of 90 for 10 in final pack.
However, we are taking in pasteurised liquid egg and sous vide cooking it - my question really is that ' Does liquid pasteurised egg contain the clostridium botulinum risk similar to poultry meat' ?...again appologies if this seems daft but I just want to be clear of the risks
I would hope not......the botulism in poultry comes from unclean barns where dead stock and manure are not removed and generally the flock would need to be culled.
A quick google search did not find any direct correlation between pasteurized eggs and botulism
BUT since your packaging a low acid food hermetically, you'll want to ensure that your process is efficient at producing a 5 log reduction in bacteria to PREVENT the formation of botulism spores
BUT since your packaging a low acid food hermetically, you'll want to ensure that your process is efficient at producing a 5 log reduction in bacteria to PREVENT the formation of botulism spores
5 log bacterial reductions (e.g pasteurization) will not eliminate Clostridium spores. They will kill active Clostridium bacteria, but pasteurized products are great growth mediums for Clostridium spores. Spore growth is typically prevented by pH, water activity, oxygen permeable packaging, or refrigeration.
In cracked egg products, yes C. bot is still a risk. The general regulatory assumption is that spores are everywhere. It looks like this FSA guidance doesn't state that the refrigerated vacuum pack provisions are exclusive to chicken: https://www.food.gov...vacpack0708.pdf
So it looks like you either will have to prove that your sous vide method is similar in spore lethality to 90ºC for 10 minutes (could be, I imagine you can "overcook" eggs in a sous vide without that much quality damage). Otherwise to exceed 10 days you'll have to use some other method of control.
Note: not a UK person, there may be more information deeper in the regs. But as with all C. bot risks, it's important to consult with a process authority.
Hi,
Apologies if this seems a daft question, but clostridium botulinum can be found in poultry products, hence the 2017 UK reg for control in vac packed products with life over 10 days. I'm cooking it to the equivalent of 90 for 10 in final pack.
However, we are taking in pasteurised liquid egg and sous vide cooking it - my question really is that ' Does liquid pasteurised egg contain the clostridium botulinum risk similar to poultry meat' ?...again appologies if this seems daft but I just want to be clear of the risks
Hi Big Blue,
I presume you have already consulted the FSA website on this topic -
https://www.food.gov...-storage/vacpac
The linked pdf contains the paragraph -
17. Since spores of non-proteolytic C. botulinum are widely distributed in the
environment, it should be assumed that any ingredient/food might be
contaminated. It is on this basis that specific recommendations for shelf-life of
VP/MAP foods are made.
Not my area but i assume you need to comply with the controls listed and particularly the tree diagram.