Anne and Seafood HACCP List,
In reply to your inquiry regarding TTIs and control measures, here is
some background information that might be helpful:
Re: Time-Temperature Monitoring Tags
The Compendium of Fish and Fishery Product Processes, Hazards, and
Controls, Ch. 8: "Vacuum and Modified Atmosphere Packaged Fish and
Fisheries Products" contains information on Time-Temperature Monitoring
Tag sources http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/haccp/compendium/Chapt08.htm#Tags
Re: The guidance for using time temperature indicators (TTI) came out in
the FDA Hazards Guide, 3rd Ed., Ch. 13, p. 167-190. (2001) Web:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/haccp4m.html The concern is with "Control
in refrigerated, reduced oxygen packaged raw, unpreserved fish and
unpasteurized, cooked fishery products." (See Step #10: pg. 168 and
172-173; Step #11: pg. 174; Step #15: pg. 182)
Currently, the only appropriate control for the above type of process is
the use of time temperature integrators. However, the Guidance provides
an alternative [not a simple process!] if processors intend to market the
above products without TTIs. A protocol for conducting suitable studies as
described in the Hazards Guide is contained in the National Advisory
Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods publication, "Vacuum or
modified atmosphere packaging for refrigerated, raw fishery products"
(1992). This document was posted this spring on the web
(http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPHS/nacmcf/past/map_fishery.htm).
Another study which corroborates the FDA's decision to identify TTIs as an
appropriate means of providing control for the above process is by:
Skinner, G.E. and J.W. Larkin. 1998. Conservative prediction of time to
Clostridium botulinum toxin formation for use with time-temperature
indicators to ensure the safety of foods. J. Food Prot. 61:1154-1160.
Here's the abstract on that study:
"Integrating-type time-temperature indicators (TTI) may be utilized to
warn food processors and consumers about storage conditions that may have
rendered a food potentially hazardous. As an example of how integrated TTI
could be manufactured to emulate an infinite set of time-temp. situations,
a set of conditions which have supported Clostridium botulinum growth and
toxin production was compiled. The time-temp. curve representing
conservative times required for toxin formation was constructed with data
from literature relating to toxin formation as a function of temp. in any
media or food product. This set of critical time-temp. data is fit by a
conservative empirical relationship that can be used to predict
combinations of incubation times and storage temp. that represent a
potential health risk from C. botulinum in foods. A TTI could be
constructed to indicate deviation from such a given set of conditions to
bring attention to foods that may have been exposed to potentially
hazardous temp. with respect to C. botulinum toxin formation."
Regards,
Pamela Tom
University of California
Sea Grant Extension Program
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