Crabmeat, Pasteurized Blue
Generic HACCP Plan
Updated 7/15/02
1. Process Description
Blue crabs are caught and transported live to processing facilities by either boat or truck. On arrival, the crabs are inspected for physical damage, chemical contamination and mortality. Those crabs that are not immediately processed are placed in a cooler (55°F to 65°F) for a maximum of 24 hours.
The crabs are cooked in a retort for 10 minutes at 250°F (15 psig). Cooked crabs are placed in an air-cool room for a maximum of two hours or until steam is not visible from the crabs. The crabs are then placed in a refrigerated room at 45°F until processed.
The cooled crabs are picked by hand into metal cans. In the packing rooms, cans are check-weighed and hermetically sealed on a one head seamer. The sealed containers are refrigerated. Within 48 hours of picking, meat is pasteurized. During the pasteurization process, the can of picked meat is heated in a water bath followed by cooling in ice slush. Finished product containers are stored under refrigeration.
2. Flow Diagram
| Boat or Truck | ||
| | | ||
| Loading Area |
--> Raw Crab Cooler |
|
| | |
| |
|
| Retort |
<-- |
|
| | | ||
| Air Cool Room | ||
| | | ||
| Cooked Crab Cooler | ||
| | | ||
| Picking Room | ||
| | | ||
| Packing/Sealing | In the packing rooms, cans are check-weighed and hermetically sealed on a one head seamer. | |
| | | ||
| Refrigerated Storage | ||
| | | ||
| Pasteurization Process | Within 48 hours of picking, meat is pasteurized. During the pasteurization process, the can of picked meat is heated in a water bath followed by cooling in ice slush. | |
| | | ||
| Packed Product Refrigeration Room |
Finished product containers are stored under refrigeration. |
Return to Index
3. Hazard Analysis Worksheet
| Firm Name: ABC Crab Co. | Product Description: Pasteurized crabmeat in hermetically sealed steel cans | ||||
| Firm Address: Anywhere, USA | Storage and Distribution: Refrigerated | ||||
| Intended Use and Consumer: Ready to eat without further processing | |||||
| (1)
Ingredient/ processing step |
(2)
Identify potential hazards introduced, controlled or enhanced at this step |
(3)
Are any potential food-safety hazards significant? (Yes/No) |
(4)
Justify your decision for column 3. |
(5)
What control measures can be applied to prevent the significant hazards? |
(6)
Is this step a critical control point? (Yes/No) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipt | BIOLOGICAL
Bacterial pathogen contamination |
Yes | Raw crabs can be a reservoir for pathogens. | Pasteurization eliminates pathogens. | No |
| CHEMICAL
Environmental contaminants |
No | No history of problems with crabs in area of harvest. | |||
| PHYSICAL
None |
|||||
| Raw Crab Cooler | BIOLOGICAL
Bacterial pathogen growth |
Yes | Raw crabs contain human pathogens that can grow under refrigerated conditions. | Pasteurization eliminates pathogens. | No |
| CHEMICAL
None |
|||||
| PHYSICAL
None |
|||||
| Retort | BIOLOGICAL
Pathogen survival |
Yes | Improper cook will not kill or inactivate human pathogens. | Pasteurization eliminates pathogens. | No |
| CHEMICAL
Boiler chemicals |
No | SSOP. | |||
| PHYSICAL
None |
No | ||||
|
If this product was sold as fresh crabmeat, then the retort process may be a critical control point. |
|||||
| Air Cool Room | BIOLOGICAL
Pathogens |
No | Recontamination controlled by SSOP. Bacterial growth controlled by hot crab temperature and short holding time. |
||
| CHEMICAL
None |
|||||
| PHYSICAL
None |
|||||
| Cooked Crab Cooler | BIOLOGICAL
Bacterial pathogen growth |
Yes | Time/temperature abuse could allow pathogen growth. | Pasteurization eliminates the pathogens. | No |
| CHEMICAL
None |
|||||
| PHYSICAL
None |
|||||
| Picking Room | BIOLOGICAL
Bacterial pathogen growth |
Yes | Excessive time in processing room will promote pathogen growth. | Pasteurization will eliminate the pathogens. | No |
| BIOLOGICAL
Staphylococcus aureus |
No | Although humans are natural reservoirs, using USDA's pathogen modeling program, it was determined that the temperature abuse conditions necessary for growth of S. aureus to levels sufficient for toxin production were not reasonably likely to occur. | |||
| BIOLOGICAL Bacterial pathogen recontamination |
No | SSOP. | |||
| CHEMICAL
None |
|||||
| PHYSICAL
Shell |
No | Hazard analysis indicates that this inherent defect is not "reasonably likely" to result in the food being unsafe for consumption. | |||
| Packing/Sealing | BIOLOGICAL Bacterial pathogen recontamination through can seams |
Yes | Defective seams may allow entry of Clostridium botulinum type E. | Proper can seams. | Yes |
| BIOLOGICAL Bacterial pathogen growth |
Yes | Excessive time in processing room will promote pathogen growth. | Pasteurization will eliminate the pathogens. | No | |
| BIOLOGICAL Staphylococcus aureus |
No | Although humans are natural reservoirs, using USDA's pathogen modeling program, it was determined that the temperature abuse conditions necessary for growth of S. aureus to levels sufficient for toxin production were not reasonably likely to occur. | |||
| CHEMICAL
None |
|||||
| PHYSICAL
None |
|||||
| Refrigerated Storage | BIOLOGICAL
Bacterial pathogen growth |
Yes | Time/temperature abuse could allow pathogen growth. | Pasteurization eliminates the pathogens. | No |
| CHEMICAL
None |
|||||
| PHYSICAL
None |
|||||
| Pasteurization | BIOLOGICAL
Pathogen survival |
Yes | Pathogens will survive an improper thermal process. | Apply proper thermal process. | Yes |
| CHEMICAL
None |
No | ||||
| PHYSICAL
None |
No | ||||
| Packed Product Refrigeration Room | BIOLOGICAL
Bacterial pathogens |
Yes | Human pathogens (Clostridium botulinum, Type A) could grow if product is temperature abused. | Proper refrigeration. | Yes |
| CHEMICAL
None |
|||||
| PHYSICAL
None |
|||||
4. HACCP Plan Form
| Firm Name: ABC Crab Co. | Product Description: Pasteurized crabmeat in hermetically sealed steel cans | ||||||||
| Firm Address: Anywhere, USA | Storage and Distribution: Refrigerated | ||||||||
| Intended Use and Consumer: Ready to eat without further processing | |||||||||
| (1)
Critical Control Point (CCP) |
(2)
Significant Hazard(s) |
(3)
Critical Limits for each Control Measure |
Monitoring | (8)
Corrective Action(s) |
(9)
Verification |
(10)
Records |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (4)
What |
(5)
How |
(6)
Frequency |
(7)
Who |
||||||
| Packing/Sealing | Bacterial pathogen recontamination through can seams. | Container seams meet manufacturer's specifications. | Can seams. | Can-seam tear-down evaluation. Visual seam examination. |
Monitor one can at start-up when an
adjustment is made to sealing machine and every four hours during operation. One can every half hour. |
Quality-control person | Readjust can seaming machine. Hold and evaluate product since previous checks. |
Daily record review. | Can-seam evaluation form. |
| Pasteurization | Survival of pathogens. | For 401x301 can, minimum water bath 188°F, time 120 minutes in bath. This cook achieves F=31, ref. 185°F, z=16 and 6D kill process. | Water-bath temperature and time of pasteurization. | Recording thermometer. | Each batch. | Quality-control person | Recook, reject product or hold for evaluation. | Daily record review. Process validation (on file). Calibration of temperature recorder to MIG thermometer daily and annual calibration of MIG thermometer. |
Recorder chart. |
| Refrigerated Storage | Bacterial pathogen. C. botulinum type A growth in packed product. |
50°F maximum for cooler. | Temperature of cooler. | Recording thermometer and visual check. | Continuous with visual checks every four hours during operation.. | Quality-control person
|
Hold and evaluate based on time and
temperature of exposure. Adjust cooler. |
Daily record review. Calibration of temperature recorder with MIG thermometer weekly. |
Recorder charts. Cooler temperature record. |
| Signature of Company Official: | Date: | ||||||||
Reference
Seafood HACCP Alliance for Education and Training. 2001. HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Training Curriculum. Available from: UF/IFAS-Extension Bookstore, P.O. Box 110011, Gainesville, FL 32611-0011.
Adapted by Pamela D. Tom (Program Representative) and Robert J. Price (Extension Specialist, Seafood Products) Food Science & Technology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8598
UCSGEP 02-3W; July 2002
This work is sponsored in part by NOAA, National Sea Grant
College Program, Department of Commerce, under grant number NA06RG0142,
project number A/EA-1, through the California Sea Grant College Program,
and in part by the California State Resources Agency. The U.S. Government
is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for governmental purposes.
Affirmative
Action Statement
 |
Updated: 07/18/07 Update Log |
Pamela D. Tom,
SeafoodNIC Director Sea Grant Extension Program |
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