Baking & Snack - May 2004 - 134

REGULATIONS, SALT

GMPS
"Good Manufacturing Practices" are covered in 21
CFR §110 and are administered by the Food and
Drug Administration. These federal regulations spell
out the legal requirements for processing food,
outlining the actions to ensure that food is manufactured and stored under clean conditions. Key parts
of these regulations include:
Section 110.10: Personnel prohibits all persons
working in food processing from wearing
insecure jewelry, including rings with stones,
pendants, earrings and so forth. This regulation
also covers such personnel aspects as disease
control, cleanliness, hygiene, clothing, education
and training. Other provisions rule out eating,
smoking or drinking and the storage of personal
effects in production areas.
Section 110.20: Plant and Grounds states that a
food processor must maintain the site to reduce the
potential for contamination of end products, raw
materials or food packaging materials with microorganisms, chemicals, filth or extraneous matter.

Section 110.35: General Maintenance requires that
all dangerous compounds be applied and stored in
such manner as to prevent any contamination of food
or food packaging materials.
Section 110.37: Sanitary Facilities and Control sets
forth requirements on plumbing, sewage disposal and
toilet facilities to prevent food contamination.
Section 110.40: Equipment and Utensils mandates
that food processing equipment be designed and
constructed to preclude any adulteration of food
with lubricants, fuels, metal fragments or other
contaminants.
Section 110.80: Production and Process Control states
that all reasonable precautions be taken to ensure
that production procedures do not contaminate food.
Section 110.93: Warehousing and Distribution
requires that food shall be protected against contamination, as well as deterioration, in the package during
warehousing and distribution operations.

SALT GRADES AND PROPERTIES
Salt
(crystal form)
Pretzel topping
(Orthorhombic packed cubes)
Rock salt
Compacted vacuum

Screen
size
(USS
mesh)

Loose
Bulk
Solubility
density
rate
(lb/cu ft) (seca)

Caking
resistance
indexb

Anti-caking
free-flow
additivesc

NaCl
(% dry
weight
basis)

14 to 15
12 to 20

69
67

120 to 150
130 to 170

85
80

None
None

99.0
99.8

Compacted flake
(Thin, smooth platelets)
Coarse
Topping
Fine

16 to 30
20 to 40
40 to 100

58
62
64

80 to 100
70 to 90
30 to 40

75
70
70

YPS
YPS
YPS

99.8
99.8
99.8

Grainer flake
(Pyramidal aggregate)
Coarse
Topping
Fine
Fine prepared

16 to 30
20 to 40
40 to 100
40 to 100

40
45
54
54

60 to 80
60 to 80
15 to 25
15 to 25

50
50
40
95

None
None
None
TCP

99.9
99.9
99.9
99.9

Vacuum granulated
(Cubic)
Pan run
20 to 100
Pan run with YPS
20 to 100
Medium screen
30 to 70
Medium screen with YPS
30 to 70
Prepared
30 to 70
Fine screening
40 to 100
Extra fine screening
50 to 140
Dendritic (Porous cube)
40 to 100
Flour (Cubes, fragments)
70 to 300
Pulverized (Fragmented) Less than 200

75
75
74
74
74
79
69
55
65
50

70 to 100
70 to 100
70 to 80
70 to 80
70 to 80
40 to 60
35 to 40
20 to 30
10 to 20
10 to 20

40
95
50
50
95
90
90
95
95
90

None
YPS
None
None
SSA
YPS
TCP
YPS
TCP
TCP

99.8
99.8
99.8
99.8
99.3
99.8
98.8
99.9
98.0
98.0

a
b
c

Time to produce 2% NaCl concentration when immersing 2.5 g in 100 ml water
Percent uncaked salt upon drying after exposure to 85% rh at 90°F
YPS = yellow prussiate of soda; SSA = sodium silicoaluminate; TCP = tricalcium phosphate

D.M. Strietelmeier, American Institute of Baking Technical Bulletin, February 1988

134 / BAKERS PRODUCTION MANUAL / May 2004

GRAS STATUS OF
FOOD INGREDIENTS
Food manufacturers have used various ingredients
for centuries. The Pure Food and Drug Act at the
beginning of this century began the process of
ensuring that the ingredients used are safe for
human consumption.
In 1958, Congress enacted the Food Additives
Amendment, requiring that the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approve all food additives
before they are used. If existing ordinary food
ingredients - such as flour, salt, shortening,
baking powder - had been required to go
through the approval process, the food supply
chain would have been brought to a halt.
To prevent this, Congress established a new
category of ingredients, Generally Recognized
As Safe (GRAS). If the ingredient was in use
before 1958, it could be included in this group,
based either on general usage, or on scientific
assessment of its safety.
After considering public and industry comments,
FDA, assisted by expert panels, published a list of
food ingredients it considered to be GRAS (found in
21 CFR §182). This list is not exhaustive (flour, salt,
shortening, etc. are not included) but gives guidance
as to materials that have been considered and
whose safety is not currently in question.
Sometimes FDA itself decides to re-examine
the GRAS status of a material. This is usually in
response to a petition, either by a company wanting FDA affirmation of GRAS status for its product
or by another group questioning the suitability
of GRAS status. The examination is announced
in the Federal Register, giving opportunity for
public comment on the topic. After considering
all available safety data, if FDA finds no problems,
the material is declared "Affirmed as GRAS" and
moved to a list in 21 CFR §184.
A manufacturer of a food ingredient may
decide ("self-affirm") that the ingredient meets
the requirements for a GRAS substance. The
advantage is that the consumer can immediately
benefit from this new development in food
science without the expense and delay of a
petition to FDA for affirmation of GRAS status
or approval as a food additive. The risk the
manufacturer and baker take is that if for some
reason FDA decides the material is unsafe, all
product containing it would be seized. The
decision to self-affirm and use a new ingredient as GRAS is not one to be made lightly,
although responsible manufacturers should not
be deterred unnecessarily.
GRAS materials are always used in accordance
with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). Put
briefly, this means:
1 - Use reasonable amounts to produce the
intended technical, functional or textural effects.
2 - Produce, handle and use it under conditions appropriate to a food ingredient.
3 - If it is a processing aid (for example, a flow
agent), keep the amount used as low as possible.
In general, the only limitation on use levels
of GRAS materials is GMP. For some ingredients,
especially many of those "Affirmed as GRAS,"
specific maximum use levels are detailed in the
appropriate paragraph of 21 CFR.

Baking & Snack - May 2004

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