India is the land of spices, aromas the one the most distinguished food cultures across the globe. We have thousands of years of culinary history. Ours is a country-kitchen that has perfected the art of color, aroma, texture and taste for centuries. Ingredients that are found only in India have been doing the rounds of the world. We embellish global food with our unique touch. Our global footprint in the food and beverage industry remains unparalleled till date.
The Indian Foods and beverages industry are a careful combination of art and science. We as a culture have the art side of it covered. But what about the science? What about chemistry, biology and physics surrounding our food? There’s a lot that goes into the preservation, fortification, transportation and refrigeration of our food. Careful measures need to be taken in order to make sure that our food remains healthy, fresh and nutritious during its life cycle.
The storage and refrigeration in both these industries are mutually inclusive i.e. they overlap in certain areas. There have been continuous modifications and developments in the way food is displayed, stored, maintained and preserved using the right kind of refrigeration. Let us look at the latest trends of confectionary and bakery refrigeration in India.
FSSAI and HACCP are two major food regulatory bodies in India. They’re responsible for setting international, national and regional standards so that the food that is being consumed is nutritious and of high quality.
HACCP
HACCP or Hazard and Critical control points is a pragmatic international approach towards food safety that prevents the finished products to be free of any physical, biological or chemical hazards. HACCP system can be used during all stages of the food chain, from production, preparation, storage, packaging to export. In India this is implemented via a multitude of agencies. There are seven basic principles that are globally accepted by government agencies, trade associations and food industry. HACCP is a systematic approach to the identification, evaluation, and control of food safety hazards based on the following seven principles:
– Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis.
– Principle 2: Determine the critical control points (CCPs).
– Principle 3: Establish critical limits.
– Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures.
– Principle 5: Establish corrective actions.
– Principle 6: Establish verification procedures.
– Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation procedures.
FSSAI
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India or FSSAI comes under the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Government of India). It has been established under the “Food Safety and Standards, 2006” act. FSSAI is responsible for protection, promotion of public health by regulating and supervising food safety regulations throughout India. It is responsible for laying down the latest science in research, imports, quality assurance, storage, distribution and sale etc.
Now, cumulatively there are hundreds (if not thousands of guidelines that go deep inside nuances of food regulations). We’re going to mention some significant pointers.
SEPRATION – ISOLATION
Cross-contamination is the leading cause of fresh food items catching bacteria. This can be frequently seen in poultry, meats, eggs or seafood. The key here is to keep these food items and their juices away from each other and other food items. Here are some pointers to keep in mind.
– Separate meats, poultry, seafood and eggs from other foods in your grocery shopping cart, grocery baggage and the refrigerator.
– Clean your chopping board properly with soap before using it for any food items. Repeat this process, if you’re using the same board for multiple food items.
– Never use the same utensil for different foods items.
– Always boil the marinades before reusing them.
COOKING
Food is said to be sufficiently cooked when it reaches an internal temperature that is high enough to kill all the harmful bacteria that cause illness. After this point further increase in temperature will start kill more nutrients and will determine the taste, look, and texture of the food.
– Make use of a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods periodically.
– Food color is not a reliable indicator of the internal temperature of the dish.
– Eggs should be cooked the yolk and white are firm.
– When using microwave or an oven (without a turntable), cover the food, stir it and rotate it for even cooking.
– When reheating, always bring the sauces, soups or gravies to a boil to ensure all the bacteria have been killed.
REFRIGERATION:
Food is said to be sufficiently cooked when it reaches an internal temperature that is high enough to kill all the harmful bacteria that cause illness. After this point further increase in temperature will start kill more nutrients and will determine the taste, look, and texture of the food.
– Cold storage units should be designed and constructed in a way so that there is no cross-contamination of food items and it encourages adequate cleaning and maintenance space.
– Cold storage has a significant Foods should be quickly refrigerated because of the slow growth of harmful bacteria.
– Cold air must be made to circulate constantly, so as to keep the food fresh.
– Frozen raw materials should be stored within a temperature range of 4 to -18 degree Celsius.
– Temperature for dry storage should between 10 to 21 degree Celsius.
– Accept fish or other sea food only below the temperature of 5 degree Celsius.
– All the food items should be covered and stored separately.
– Practice FIFO – first food in first food out, FEFO – First Expire First Out
– Refrigerate meat, poultry, eggs, seafood etc. within two hours of cooking or purchasing (one hours if it’s peak summer heat).
– Do not thaw food at room temperature. Always defrost the food in the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave. Thawed food should be cooked immediately after defrosting.
– Always marinate the food in the refrigerator.
– Store the leftover into shallow containers to attain quicker cooling in the refrigerator.
-Use and discard food on a regular basis.
Elan Professional Appliances Pvt. Ltd. Is a leading India based commercial refrigeration company. With a cumulative experience of 70 years, we are focused and expanding by leaps and bounds in commercial refrigeration. Spanning across 560 channel partners, our client base includes the largest names in hospitality, retail and the pharma industry. We strictly follow all guidelines laid down by the FSSAI and HACCP to ensure that your food remains fresh and nutritious when you pull it out of your fridge. To know more about us visit us at
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