Validation of Sanitation Procedures to Prevent the Cross Contact with Allergens During the Processing of Pork Products

This study was conducted to develop and validate cleaning procedures for different processing equipment of varying complexity and to determine the efficacy of two different allergen tests. Following introduction of selected allergens to processing equipment, two treatments were applied - water wash or scrub/sanitize ? and a no clean was also evaluated. The equipment used consisted of a slicer, grinder, injector, vacuum tumbler, and plastic lugs. To introduce the allergen to the slicer, nine ready-to-eat hams were used. One hundred twenty-two kilograms of pork trim were ground, and a milk allergen was incorporated into the meat. The injector was contaminated with a food allergen by injecting boneless pork loins with a marinade containing soy flour. The slicer, grinder, injector, tumbler, and lugs were then subjected to randomized treatments. The results showed that the water wash and scrub/sanitize treatments did not differ significantly among the pieces of equipment tested. This study supported that both water wash and scrub/sanitize treatments can effectively removed allergens to a level below the industry threshold of 5 ppm.