FARMSOFTQC FRESH PRODUCE QUALITY control & QUALITY CONTROL with A.I. powered quality controls.
Farmsoft QC Quality control app makes fresh produce quality control rapid and accurate for all fresh produce packers: cherry, berry, onion, pepper & capsicum, avocado, potato quality, broccoli, salad quality control, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, tomato quality, citrus, asparagus, garlic quality control app, carrot quality, bean, mango, leafy greens, fresh cut quality control, food service quality app, coleslaw quality, strawberry quality control app, grape quality, meat quality control app, flower quality.
Fresh produce quality control app for fresh produce blockchain traceability. Quality control app for meat products, export/import.
COLESLAW MANUFACTURING QUALITY
Coleslaw production, packing, sales distribution food service software
Use farmsoft to manage the entire coleslaw manufacturing and packing operation for any coleslaw products. Configure the ingredients for each coleslaw recipe, project the required materials, produce orders based on requirements (or schedule new harvests or new plantings) to ensure coleslaw manufacturing and packing is accurate and easy to manage.
The pack to order process for coleslaw packing has never been easier with farmsoft. Mange traceability for coleslaw packing, perform quality tests on incoming cabbage, onion, parsley and other raw materials, and track quality back to the supplier from customer complaints/feedback. Customers can use the portal to enter their coleslaw orders online; give your customers a superior coleslaw ordering experience. You can even collect customer feedback for coleslaw products received by the customer in the mixed salad loose leaf lettuce portal. Software solution to manage coleslaw > Reduce loose coleslaw, improve coleslaw traceability, ensure accurate & timely coleslaw orders.
Quality effects of packaging film and storage temperature on the quality of a dry coleslaw mix packaged in a modified atmosphere
Summary The effects of six packaging treatments on the quality of dry coleslaw packaged in modified atmospheres and stored at 4 and 8 °C for 9 days were determined. The coleslaw was packaged within either oriented polypropylene (OPP) or one of four microperforated OPP films, PA-120, PA-160, PA-190, and PA-210. It was also stored within punctured OPP (i.e. in air). Packaging within OPP resulted in an atmosphere with very low O2 (<1%) and extremely high CO2 (25–35%) levels. These storage conditions had detrimental effects on the quality of coleslaw: loss of firmness, falling pH, high cell permeability and exudate, high surface moisture and poor acceptability of aroma. By contrast, the microperforated films generated less atmosphere modification; in some cases this was insufficiently modified to be technically useful. The relatively high O2 levels in these microperforated packs resulted in lower appearance and colour scores, increased surface dryness and higher firmness values. Increasing storage temperature from 4 to 8 °C resulted in a reduction in shelf-life for all film types. While still not optimal, packaging within microperforated films allowed better preservation of quality and reduced cell membrane damage.
Coleslaw Quality Testing
To avoid watery slaw, salt and drain the cabbage before mixing.
The challenge: Despite its simplicity, two things have always bothered us about coleslaw: the pool of watery dressing at the bottom of the bowl after a few hours, and the salad's sharpness, regardless of the kind or quality of vinegar used. It always seems to taste better when tried again the next day, but by then the dressing is the consistency of milk. We wanted to find a method that would keep the cabbage from watering down the dressing and also a way to make the salad piquant without tasting too sharp.
The solution: Some recipes call for soaking cabbage in ice water to make it crisp and plump. We found, however, that the cabbage quickly loses its acquired water leaving an even larger puddle of water to dilute the dressing. Quite unlike the ice-water cabbage, salted cabbage shreds lost most of its liquid while sitting in the salt, leaving the cabbage pickle-crisp. In addition to having less water in it, the cabbage took on more of the dressing's flavors, and unlike stiff, icy shreds, this limp cabbage was also easier to eat. The salting process does leave the cabbage a bit too salty, but a quick rinse washes away the excess salt. After rinsing, just pat it dry with paper towels and refrigerate it until ready to dress. Having figured out how to keep the cabbage from watering down the dressing, we were ready to tackle the dressing's acidity problem. After a number of failed experiments, we decided to give low-acidity rice wine vinegar a try. We drizzled a bit of rice vinegar over the mayonnaise-tossed cabbage and found its mild acidity perfect for coleslaw.
For good measure: If the cole slaw is to be eaten immediately, rinse it quickly in ice water rather than tap water, then pat it dry. Coleslaw, at least the creamy style, should be served cold.
Quality Challenges for Coleslaw Studies to Determine the Ability of Foods to Support the Growth of Listeria monocytogenes
Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis, a relatively rare, but potentially fatal, disease, with a mortality rate of 20–30%. In general, European Regulations require the absence of L. monocytogenes in five samples of 25 g before the food has left the producer, but if the food has been demonstrated not to support the growth of L. monocytogenes, up to 100 cfu g−1 are allowed in the food (except for foods for infants or medical purposes) during its shelf-life under reasonably foreseeable storage conditions. It is important for food producers to determine if their food supports the growth of L. monocytogenes. The European Union Reference Laboratory for L. monocytogenes published a Technical Guidance document for conducting shelf-life studies on L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods in June 2014. Primarily based on the EURL guidance document for conducting challenge studies, the ability of cheese (feta and soft goat’s milk cheese), cold-smoked salmon, coleslaw, and pork pate to support the growth of L. monocytogenes was determined using a starting inoculum of approximately 100 cfu g−1. The cheese and pork pate were incubated at 8 °C for 14 days; the smoked salmon was incubated at 6 °C for 5 days and 8 °C for 9 days; and the coleslaw was incubated at 8 °C for 7 days and 12 °C for 14 days. The results showed that the smoked salmon and pork pate supported growth, while coleslaw and cheese did not. From this study, it is evident that there are factors in food other than pH, water activity, and total bacterial count (TBC) that can inhibit the ability of L. monocytogenes to grow in food.
Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes, growth, challenge study, food
Coleslaw / Slaw Quality controls
Listeria monocytogenes is widely distributed in the environment, being found in soil, water, and plant material, among other things [1]. It can, therefore, contaminate the food processing environment unless stringent efforts are in place to prevent such contamination. L. monocytogenes can survive for long periods of time in a seemingly hostile environment, such as a food processing facility. This is partially due to its ability to survive various stresses, such as sanitisers, pH, and temperature [2,3], and its ability to form a biofilm [4,5], leading to persistence [6]. Thus, it is a concern for the food industry. If present in the food processing environment, cross-contamination is a possible route of food contamination [7], where it can be an issue, particularly for ready-to-eat (RTE) foods.
With the absence of cooking, or a similar bacterial inactivation step, in the production of RTE foods, L. monocytogenes can persist, and if conditions become favourable, it may grow to numbers high enough to cause infection. According to the European food law (Regulation 2073/2005), in the case of foodstuffs that can support the growth of L. monocytogenes, food business operators (FBOs) must demonstrate its absence in five samples of 25 g, or, in foods for special dietary purposes, its absence in 10 samples of 25 g. In contrast, in those foodstuffs that do not support the growth of L. monocytogenes, a maximum level of 2 Log cfu/g is allowed during the shelf-life of the food. Consequently, food processors must demonstrate if their products support the growth of L. monocytogenes. If the inability of L. monocytogenes to grow in the food has not been demonstrated in a food challenge study, then growth is presumed. Therefore, it is important for RTE food producers to determine the ability of each specific food to support the growth of L. monocytogenes.
Coleslaw / slaw quality management systems
To predict the growth of L. monocytogenes in foods, the use of predictive microbiology software, such as Combase [8,9] or Pathogen Modelling Programme [10], among others, have been described. These software programmes consider several factors, such as pH, temperature, and water activity (aw), to predict the growth of L. monocytogenes. However, not all factors can be considered and so predictions may be inaccurate, as shown by Schvartzman et al. [11].
To support food producers in doing challenge studies, the European Union Reference Laboratory (EURL) for L. monocytogenes published a Technical Guidance document for conducting shelf-life studies on L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods in 2008. This guidance was revised and the revision published in 2014 [12]. Factors, such as temperature, inoculum level, preparation, competing microflora, and water activity, are considered in making recommendations for undertaking challenge studies. The document emphasises the fact that a challenge study needs to be undertaken for each specific food as the results from one food cannot be extrapolated to other foods.
There are several recent studies on challenge studies to determine the ability of foods to support the growth of L. monocytogenes [13,14,15]. While some of these studies have broadly followed the EURL guidelines [13], others have not [14,15]. The comparison of the results from one study to the next is not possible unless the same methods are used for the challenge study. Other studies have attempted to model the growth of L. monocytogenes in food [16,17]. Such modelling studies require single strains, a constant storage temperature, and more data points (among other things). Therefore, the EURL guidelines used in the current experiments for challenge studies are not appropriate for modelling.
The objective of this study was to assess the growth potential (δ) of L. monocytogenes on cold-smoked salmon, cheese, pork pate, and coleslaw, using the guidelines published by the EURL.
Deli salad & coleslaw plant benefits from speed and efficiency of Certa pumps
Eight Certa pumps are boosting operational efficiency at Flensted Food Group, one of the largest deli salad manufacturers worldwide, with production plants in 7 countries and 4000 employees
Eight MasoSine Certa pumps boost efficiency at Flensted
Quick to clean, even after pumping high viscosity mayonnaise
Certa pumps have become the standard for handling the delicate ingredients used in these increasingly popular deli salad products, due to their gentle pumping action and cleanability.
“To help pump ingredients such as coleslaw, chicken, chickpeas, diced vegetables, fruit and nuts, as well as bases such as mayonnaise and salad dressing, without degradation, we rely on eight Certa pumps, which are located on small trolleys so they can be easily moved around the large production floor, and into different manufacturing halls,” explains maintenance manager Martin Kristensen.
First choice pump
There are many reasons why Flensted opted for MasoSine Certa pumps, not least because they can cope with varying viscosities up to 8 million centipoise. Also, the single rotor design of MasoSine pumps maintains constant volumetric displacement throughout the pumping cycle, providing a smooth and consistent flow without the pulsation spikes associated with rotary pumps.
Deli salad pump
Sine™ pumps also offer advantages over many other types of positive displacement pumps, such as piston pumps, which are prone to damaging solids, while AODD (air-operated double diaphragm) pumps have a pumping action that frequently ‘splits’ bases such as mayonnaise. Ultimately, a trouble-free manufacturing process is a must at deli salad plants as downtime can have costly implications for both the end product and production.
Further benefits of Certa pumps include up to 50% less energy consumption for the same flow in comparison with other pump types, and superior suction so that cavitation is almost eliminated.
Ease of cleaning
Offering EHEDG Type EL Class I as well as EHEDG Type EL Aseptic Class I and 3A certification, the Certa pumps provide full CIP (clean-in-place) capability. As well as minimising downtime, this quick cleaning procedure also ensures that chemical and water use is reduced, which in turn means that less wastewater requires disposal and the production is increased.
“The ease of pump cleaning is outstanding,” concludes Mr Kristensen. “We have semi-CIP cleaning procedures in place, and the Certa pumps are always cleaned quickly, even after pumping very viscous mayonnaise at 20,000 cP.”