THE ROLE OF INDICATOR SYSTEMS IN HACCP OPERATIONS

Many chemical and microbial indicators can be used to determine the safety and shelf-life of meats. This paper considers their potential application as elements in an effective HACCP system. A range of chemical indicators, including lactic and acetic acids and citrulline are examined. Many of these are of limited value, although citrulline offers some potential. Microbially based indicators and systems including, a contamination index and the use of temperature function integration are discussed. The correlation to the growth of pathogens is outlined, with particular reference to the modelling off. coli. The potential value of psychrotrophic and psychrophilic counts as process hygiene indicators in the prediction of meat and keeping quality is elucidated. The application of these systems in HACCP is presented, with particular emphasis on their value in monitoring and verifying critical control points. The value of developing more effective methods using rapid techniques in this area is highlighted.