Baking & Snack - October 2014 - 110

SANITATION STRATEGIES

When my daughters were
originally diagnosed, we
were amazed how limiting
a celiac-friendly diet is.
an important part of the program, it does not validate
the program or sanitation process. In-process controls
and checks are needed to ensure that when the finished product is tested, it is gluten-free.
Cleaning validations should include the equipment and potential cross contamination points. If
the equipment/line is dedicated as gluten-free, there
should be a review of other processing activities. Do
adjacent lines jeopardize the product? Are environmental air handlers or dust collectors properly positioned and designed?
Specific to cleaning, a risk assessment is needed
to understand conditions. Is compressed air used to
move soils on adjacent lines? Does maintenance understand implications when working on equipment
and the possible cross contamination potential? Does
the sanitation team fully understand cross contamination potential? If a CIP system is used, is the rinsate
water tested for allergens from an earlier circuit?
Similar concerns exist with COP systems, sanitation
tools and other types of cleaning systems. As with the
processing equipment, dedicated assets/resources are
the preference, and any compromise from that must
be validated.

110 Baking & Snack October 2014 / www.bakingandsnack.com

Before August 2013, the industry had been working
only with the proposed gluten-free guidelines from
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since then,
FDA has made its final ruling and defined "gluten
free" as less than 20 ppm of gluten.
A common and recommended tool used to confirm the effectiveness of cleaning for gluten removal includes analytical methods such as lateral flow
analysis test kits or ELISA swabs. However, it is critically important to discuss the source and concentration of the gluten in the soil with the test kit or lab.
Both are important considerations because not every
test method will work with every food matrix or all
sources of gluten.
When producing gluten-free products, there is
much at risk, and effective sanitation plays a critical
part. Unfortunately, it isn't a one-size-fits-all formula;
it takes experience and expertise to develop programs
that avoid unnecessary costs but still guarantee a gluten-free product.
On a personal note, I would like to thank the many
companies and associations in the food industry, including FARRP, processors, restaurants, food stores,
analytical testing companies and others, for working
together to accommodate gluten-free diets. Products
that taste good and are nutritious are more available
than ever (most supermarkets even have a dedicated
gluten-free section). Speaking for my family, we appreciate your R&D work, analytical methods and food
safety programs that paved the way to for many of
these products.

http://www.smartwattinc.com http://www.bakingandsnack.com

Baking & Snack - October 2014

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