Evaluation of process water quality for the production of dry foodstuffs
Evaluation of process water quality for the production of dry foodstuffs
Samenvatting
In the food industry water is commonly used in production. The egislation on water quality is focused on drinking water. The question arises: How should European producers of dry bulk food ingredients approach their decisions on process water quality considering production efficiency and the food safety for the consumers of the final product? This question was answered through identifying the 10 most relevant contaminants in both food production and water, the extent to which these parameters can divert from the European directive 98/83 withoutcompromising the food safety of the product, through identifying and qualifying the risks of different approaches. Finally, the benefits in Operation Excellence of implementing a Process Water Quality Plan wereresearched. The extent to which microbiological parameters can divert was found to be limited. The ten most relevant contaminants are; arsenic, benzo(a)pyrene, cadmium, cyanide, lead, manganese,mercury, nickel, PAH, and aluminium. Research found that no diversion to the set parameters is legal due to the As Low As Reasonably Attainable principle set by the European Council. Diversion from the analysisfrequency was found to be legally allowed if safety of the final product can be assured. Through a risk analysis two safe approaches two process water quality have been found; the current parameters and analysis frequency, and a new approach where the analysis frequency is reduced according tothe risks associated with the contaminants. A reduction in the analysis frequency of 2.12% was found from the current approach to the new approach. The Operation Excellence benefits are increased efficiency, increased control, and indicating a future plan toward World Class. The Process Water Quality Plan might also be useful in increasing employee involvement. European producers of dry bulk ingredients should approach their decision on process water quality by setting their analysis frequency of contaminants based on a risk analysis. Based on this risk analysis the frequency of analysis can be reduced according to the risk score. The data collected to this point should be summarized in a Process Water Quality Plan, which can be implemented by a company. The implementation of this plan has been found to have Operation Excellence benefits. The recommendations for producers of dry food ingredients are to; implement the analysis frequencies as found in this research, to determine analysis frequencies for contaminants not researched in this thesis, to monitor any implemented changes, and conduct a periodic re-evaluation of the process water quality monitoring.
Organisatie | Aeres Hogeschool |
Afdeling | Bedrijfskunde en Agribusiness |
Partner | Aeres University of Applied Sciences Dronten |
Coöperatie Avebe U.A. | |
Datum | 2020-08-10 |
Type | Bachelor |
Taal | Engels |