Ice Pop HACCP & Microbiological Testing

Hello,

I am buying ice pops (hydration ice pops) and am developing a validation plan to ensure my supplier who produces the ice pops is successfully reducing/eliminating micro contamination. For background, these ice pops contain water preservatives (sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate), and a mineral premix with color, flavor, guar gum, cellulose, and minerals. The solution is mixed in a tank transferred to another tank and pumped into a machine that fills the liquid into pouches. We have been testing for Staph, E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteria, APC, and Yeast and Mold. Yeast and Mold spec if NMT 100 cf/g, APC spec is NMT 1,000 cfu/g, and Enterobacteria is NMT 10 cfu/g. The TPC results continue to spike upwards of 300,000 cfu/g. My question is: what would be an appropriate speciation for these micros for a 90mL ice pop. Colleagues seem to think the spec is too tight. Does anybody have any reference document they could provide? How much testing as the customer do we need to be doing on a lot by lot basis?
Lastly, the plan was to perform testing on all lots, reduce to composite sampling/testing, and move to testing weekly ice pop lot. Are we responsible to test every lot long term or can we take a risk based approach?

Thank your.

You can certainly take a risk a based approach, but it can be costly if not done properly. 

 

Have you ever had TPC more than 6 logs? I'd say 4 to 6 logs is acceptable. How is everything else looking? 

Thank you for the information. Oddly enough 3 logs was the spec but we have seen a steady increase on the more product we run. The latest results are 300,000 cfu/g. It seems like there is an issue. Is APC a valid test for this finished product?

It is. Are they thawing and homogenizing before plating or testing frozen pieces?

The product is filled and sold as a liquid, so no thawing.

Ok, so you are sending it to a lab after processing at your facility. Your APC count is high despite the additives. How is your EMP and other individual raw material? 

 

I don't get it how you can determine if your supplier is doing everything to reduce microbes by you testing the finished product. Maybe try sending their raw material for testing to verify. What do their COAs say? 

We provide the ingredients: sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and a premix which includes flavor, color, guar gum, cellulose, minerals, and citric acid. The premix testing below 1000 cfu/g. We are looking at the ingredients as a source, but in this type of product, what is a reasonable TPC spec? We reviewed some EM results today and some were above 570,000. I’m trying to understand the risk with high TPC. Currently we are holding the product because the results are inconsistent.

Hi arpagano2,

 

I would be checking that your equipment/plant is clean at start of mixing and not contaminating the product, the water quality and that your dosage of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate is correct.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony