RICERCA ITALIANA     

Tracking and traceability in beer production chain: innovative methods for the implementation of safety and quality

Università degli Studi di Perugia

Abstract

Processes involved with food production are continuously making progress, with the aim of assuring improvement in safety and quality. In order to carefully control food products and to better protect consumer, Reg. CE 178/2002 deals with general laws for setting up food traceability systems. Because of complexity of biotechnological transformation process, the fermented beverages field needs particular attention and control along all food chain, considering biotic and abiotic factors involved.
Food safety tightly depends on each food operator "from farm to fork", and it is therefore evident that also responsibility must be shared with everyone.
The present research work wants to give a scientific meaning to the improvement in safety and quality. Therefore, taking into consideration brewing industry, the main targets will be:

1. Studying efficient methods and systems of control and traceability in brewing industry and in brewing supply chain and its by-products;
2. Improving benefit/cost ratio about identification and quantification of GMO which are present in brewing supply chain as ingredients (in general in all food made with cereals)
3. Improving agronomic techniques about conservation and transformation, with the aim to obtain raw materials and final products without contaminations by fungi (Fusarium, Aspergillus, ecc.) mytoxins, nitrosamines, biogenic amines, heavy metals and pesticides;
4. Improving identification >>>

Principal Investigator

Paolo FANTOZZI Università degli Studi di PERUGIA

Research Objectives

The processes that concur in the production of food are in continuous evolution with the purpose of guarantee the implementation of their safety and quality.
In this optics the recent European regulation CE 178/2002, allowing a most accurate control of the alimentary products, fixes rules of traceability on food chain. The sector of the fermented beverages needs great attention, because of the complexity of the biotechnological transformation process. Accurate control along the whole productive chain (considering the numerous biotical and not biotical aspects involved) is also needed. In fact, food safety depends on all the operators of the productive chain "From the Farm to the fork" and it is therefore evident that the responsibility must be shared. It is necessary, therefore, that the norms, the systems and the procedures for the risk prevention (like HACCP) in the agri-food sector are activated as soon as possible in all the productive chain, in consideration of the specific interest and considering the complexity of the transformation process.

The present research project will scientifically answer to the implementation of the safety and the quality, using the brewing industry as an example.

The primary transformation is particularly important. In particular, all the preventive actions to undertake in the field in order to avoid the presence of mycotoxins, nitrosamines, biogenic amines, heavy metals, pesticides in the barley and in >>>

First Results

Research line a.1: HACCP in brewing supply chain (from farm to fork)
The first results about the control critical points will be available along the brewing supply chain.

Research line b.1: Sampling methods.
The set-up of sampling methods will be available.

Research line b.2: Analytical Methods.
The set up of new analytical methods will be available.
Data from analyses of samples will be available too.

Research line c.1. Acquisition and installation of a plant pilot for beer production.

Research line c.2: The T/R (GMO).
Guidelines for the set-up of an GMO tracking system in each industries involved in the beer supply chain (mill, malt house, brewery).Research line a.1: HACCP in the brewing supply chain (from farm to fork).
Set-up of a draft of HACCP handbook.

Research line a.2: HACCP in the beer processing (DL 155/1997)
Guidelines for a HACCP manual of companies involved in beer production.
Specific HACCP manuals ready to be used (demonstrative action).

Research line b.2: Analitycal methods.
Set-up of additional analytical methods will be available.

Research line c.2: The T/R (GMO).
The attended results will be: Specific systems of traceability of the GMO ready to be used (DEMONSTRATIVE ACTION).

Research line c.3: The T/R (mycotoxins, nitrosamines, biogenic amines, heavy metals and >>>

Timescale

24 months

National and international background

In the last ten years, the safety of food products has been object of rapid improvement regarding international scientific applications. This in order to assure human and animal public health by preventive controls.

Four are the main documents of reference: Legislative Decree n. 155 of May 26 th 1997 (related to the realization of 93/43/CEE Directive), White Paper on food safety, Reg CE 178/2002 (related to the content of White Paper) and the REG CE 1830/2003.

With the Legislative Decree n. 155 of 26 May 1997 relative to the performance of 93/43/CEE Directive concerning the hygiene of food products, a great improvement has been achieved for safety guarantee of food products. The Decree previews an obligatory implementation of a self-control system in food industry (HACCP). The industries have been entrusted of personal responsibility to assure basic principles of safety, hygiene, health and control of production processes. The competent authority must verify the effectiveness of the preventive measures and the validity of obtained results. This, according to valid scientific rules, based on verifiability, communicability and objectivity, and according to methods that allow the monitoring of these processes in their progressive and logical development (HACCP). Since the sixties, the acronym HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) individualizes a detail preventive methodology that allows the evaluation of dangers by individualization of >>>