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Digital Re-print - November | December 2011 Food safety in the grain milling industry

www.gfmt.co.uk

The aim of the millers is to provide a healthy and pure staple food to the consumers.

The focus lies on the purchasing and treatment of the raw materials, its processing, the training of the people and precautions in order to prevent a possible recontamination.

Food becomes hazardous by contami-nation. Contamination is the unintended presence of harmful substances or microor-ganisms in food. Food can become contami-nated from chemical, physical or biological sources. In an increasingly complex world, there is a higher risk of food borne diseases. Providing safe flour requires the effort of many partners and various skills within the company. With Bühler as a partner, in under-standing the demands and verifying the most adequate solutions and technologies, the changing markets are not a thread but a huge opportunity to fulfil consumer expectations and add value to flour or other products out of the mill.

Traditionally, the miller is used and expe-rienced to operate processes, which are

designed to detect and remove foreign matters out of the raw material. Several techniques based on the physical differences in between the particles have been matured during the passed decades and centuries. A contemporary topic in the cereal processing industry is natural toxins metabolised by fungi. These so called mycotoxins are strictly monitored and their removal is a huge chal-lenge for the miller. Since millers are process-ing a biological raw material, there is always the presence of natural contaminants such as microorganisms. By knowing about the risk and by conducting the processes carefully, the miller is able to minimize the risk of hav-ing pathogen germs in the finished products.

Food safety issues have not be con-sidered as a cost driver or an option, but as a must for the food producing industry throughout the entire value chain from the farm to the fork. In regard of the “Don’t do harm”–approach in machine design, several guidelines are elaborated in order to set up checklists for equipment design. It is an established procedure in Bühler that all the equipment and technology developments are counterchecked to these standards.In the Buhler R&D process any newly

designed equipment and processes are cross-checked carefully with regard to:

• Clean-ability in- and outside of the equipment

• Avoiding of any dead pockets or hidden angles in the process

• Undertake all necessary actions to make a re-contamination within the process impossible

• All eventual coatings need to be approved for food safetyIt is the common understanding through-

out the industry that the efforts for food safety are not limited to machines and equipment. Modern mill build-

ings for example do not have windows or at least a quite reduced, screened surface; this is mainly explained by banning the possibility of emissions such as dust or insects. Another building related issue is the clean-ability of the production environ-ment. It should be consid-ered as a standard execu-tion to cover floors with

a smooth epoxy layer, likewise corners should be rounded and windowsills must not be horizontal.

Having the engineering related topics done nicely, the control of the climate is another very important topic. At the same time it is possible to lift the pressure within the buildings above the atmospheric pres-sure, this results in higher efficiency of the entire aspiration system and hinders flying insects to get into the mill.

Since consumer habits are changing quickly, there is a noticeable impact on flour produc-tion. Flours that are downstream processed to convenient foodstuff like frozen dough or semi-finished baking goods are supposed to be very

low in microbiological charge. Depending on the sourcing of the wheat, it is not always possible to procure a pure raw material. So Bühler is providing solutions to treat the finished product thermically. The well-known process FHT (Flour Heat Treatment) is used for example to lower the charge of pathogen germs within the flour. For other usages of flour, to assure baking functionality is required a low contamination in microorganisms and an entirely functional gluten. Bühler strives for this reason to mature a new technology of flour pasteurisation.

With the upcoming trend of enriching the diet with fibres and other precious constitu-ents out of the wheat kernel, there are new chances for cereal processors to enlarge the portfolio of noble products. The demand for germ and hygienised bran is increasing worldwide, representing a possible niche market for millers.

So in conclusion, one can resume to the following basic rules:• It starts with the purchase of the cereals

only from crop assured sources.• Check every delivery of wheat for any

food safety hazards and reject wheat, which does not fit for purpose.

• Apply HACCP (Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Points) systems through the milling process.

• Define different risk zones and assign the people who may access.

• Apply proven and certified equipment and technologies only.

• Demarcate clearly “High Sanitation” zones like bagging and prevent access.

ConclusionPoints to take influence for food safety in

grain milling

FOOD SAFETYin the grain milling industry

by Urs Dübendorfer, Bühler AG, Switzerland

Grain&feed millinG technoloGy26 | november - december 2011

FEATURE

GFMT11.06.indd 26 30/11/2011 17:29

Grain&feed millinG technoloGy november - december 2011 | 27

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Innovations for a better world.

Antares MDDR-600.

Small Roller Mill for

High Requirements.

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Bühler AG, Grain Milling, CH-9240 Uzwil, Switzerland, T +41 71 955 11 11, F +41 71 955 66 11 milling@buhlergroup.com, www.buhlergroup.com

BUH_GM_Inserat_Antares_2011_A4.indd 1 07.04.2011 15:34:28GFMT11.06.indd 54 30/11/2011 17:31

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A subscription magazine for the global flour & feed milling industries - first published in 1891

In this issue:

• Mycotoxins an overview

• Database for animal diet formulation techniques: A glance to last decade

• Food safetyin the grain milling industry

• Recent advances in rapid grain testing

November - December 2011

• African advances

Animal feed milling is one of the most buoyant activities in the agri related field

• Optical sorting Optical sorting has come of

age and should be considered as a serious option for inclusion in any modern wheat cleaning plant

• Get in lineProcess analysis solutions open new opportunities for improved profit and quality

GFMT11.06.indd 1 30/11/2011 17:28

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