Ethnic and Specialty Foods in North Carolina By John E. Rushing, Ph.D., NCSU How do I approach them?

How do you evaluate a food product? Let’s call these unconventional foods, “Specialty Foods”

Some New Ethnic Food Restaurants in Cary l Mexican l Italian l Indian l Central American l Chinese l Japanese l Bolivian l Korean l British l Irish l Peruvian l Other Hispanic l Pakistani l Ethiopian l German l Other African

Specialty Foods l Ethnic foods commonly are in this category l Usually refers to those foods which are not represented by major commodities l May use any or a combination of preservation techniques l Usually consist of many different ingredients in combination

NCState Some Characteristics of Specialty Foods l Tend to be upscale or gourmet l Often preserved by acidity, or low Aw l Often sold in specialty shops along with being sold in grocery stores l Because they are more expensive, they may be “slow movers” l Are an attractive category to entrepreneurs

NCState Some Types of Specialty Foods l Sauces and marinades l Pickled products l High end baked products l Some frozen foods l Foods for special diets l May include dietary supplements l Foods from certain ethnic groups

NCState Food Safety Concerns for Specialty Foods l Produced by knowledgeable persons within the limits of regulations l Acidified foods must have been properly acidified l Terminal heat treatments l Proper packaging and protection from spoilage

Major Food Preservation Methods l Fermenting to achieve a low pH l Temperature modification n Refrigeration n Freezing l Canning n Retorting and other sterilization processes n Acidifying l Water activity control

Fermenting l Uses microorganisms to produce acid from sugars l Organisms may also produce other antimicrobial compounds l Acids will inhibit the outgrowth of bacterial spores l The pH is usually well below 4 l Some foods are naturally acid

NCState Refrigerated Foods l Refrigerated food pathogens are on the rise l Refrigerated foods should be kept below 40F and as close to 32 as possible l Refrigeration should be used with other hurdles, such as thermal treatments, hygienic packaging, and preservatives l Discard or use refrigerated products soon

NCState Acid and Acidified Foods l These foods depend on acids to prevent the growth and toxin production by Clostridium botulinum l Acid foods are naturally acid, such as fruits l Acidified foods are low acid foods to which acids or acid foods are added to achieve a final equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below

Acidified Foods l Are low-acid foods to which an acid or an acid food has been added to produce a finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below l “Low-acid foods” are those foods which have a natural pH of above 4.6 l Are regulated under 21 CFR 114

NCState 21 CFR 114-Acidified Foods l Requires that a food plant be registered under part 108 l Requires filing and adhering to a scheduled process l Requires that the scheduled process be determined by a process authority l Requires that adherence to the process be supervised by a certified supervisor

Which are not Acidified Foods? l Fermented foods, naturally acid foods, carbonated beverages, jams, jellies and certain salad dressings are not covered by the regulation l Foods which have a water activity of.85 or less are not covered l Foods with insignificant amounts of low- acid ingredients are not covered

NCState Safety Concerns for Acid and Acidified Foods l Finished equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below l Adequate buffering capacity to prevent rapid swings in pH l Thermal destruction of pathogens and organisms capable of growing in and spoiling the food l Protecting the food from recontamination

NCState Barriers to Achieving Acidity l Inadequate acid in the cover brine to overcome buffering capacity of the food l Presence of alkaline compounds from peeling or other processing aids l Peels, waxing, or piece size l Oil in the product causing a barrier to penetration of the acid

Processing Acidified Foods l Hot fill and hold requires filling at 180F, capping and inverting l Many products are pasteurized by processing in the jar to achieve the required thermal process l Some products use a steam capper to eliminate the need for inverting

NCState Acid and Acidified Foods Processed Without Heating l Many specialty products do not receive a terminal heat treatment l New concerns raised by the finding of acid tolerance response in certain bacteria l Salmonella may survive as low as pH 3.0 l In apple cider outbreaks, E.coli 0157:H7 survived pH 3.7

Spoilage of Acidified Foods l Usually by yeasts and molds l Yeasts and molds are killed by pasteurization temperatures l Spoilage is from underprocessing or post processing contamination l Benzoates and sorbates are used to inhibit yeasts and molds

NCState Foods With No Thermal Treatment l The pH should be below 3 l Should be supplemented by preservatives such as sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate at 0.1% l May be kept refrigerated l Even though growth of pathogens is not a concern at low pH, survival is

NCState FDA Rule for Juice Products l Portions of the juice industry are arguing for only a mandated HACCP plan l FDA’s advisory panel and consumer groups recommend a 5D thermal process l The controversy may extend to other raw food products

NCState Foods With Reduced Water Activity l Water activity (Aw) is not the same as moisture level l Think of Aw as the availability of water to bacteria in the food l At 0.85, hardy pathogens such as Staphylococcus will not grow and produce toxin

NCState Some Important Aw Levels for Bacteria l 0.98 Optimum growth of most microorganisms in foods l 0.97 and below, Gram positives tend to predominate l 0.94 Limit of growth for Clostridium botulinum l 0.86 Limit of growth for Staphylococcus aureus

NCState Limit of Growth for Molds and Yeasts l Yeasts l 0.90 Saccharomyces cerevisiae l 0.62 Saccharomyces rouxii l Molds l 0.93 Rhizopus nigricans l 0.77 Aspergillus niger

NCState Concerns for Low Aw Foods l Aw is difficult to measure, and must be maintained by packaging l Yeasts and molds must be inhibited in intermediate moisture foods l Sorbate and propionate are preferred inhibitors l Hygiene is important as organisms are not necessarily killed without a thermal process

NCState Safety in Low Aw Foods l Measure the Aw or refrigerate l Don’t vary the formulas for baked goods without refrigeration l Protect the food from moist conditions: some dehydrated foods are very hygroscopic l Use Aw effectively to make flavored and herbal oils

NCState Herbal Foods l Botanicals must be correctly identified l Be sure that the herb is a food and that you are using the proper part or preparation l Herbs are to be produced under proper agronomic conditions l Use dried herbs in formulations with oil or properly acidify them first

NCState Dietary Supplements and Nutriceuticals l Dietary Supplement and Health Act of 1984 defines dietary supplements l Dietary supplements are not foods and cannot be represented for use as a sole item of a meal or of a diet l Deemed a food, but excluded from food additive safety and approval requirements when properly labeled

Temperature Modification l Refrigeration increases the lag time for the growth of microorganisms l Freezing inhibits the growth of microorganisms by tying up the water l Harmful organisms may survive refrigeration and freezing

Water Activity Control l Drying removes water from the system to inhibit growth of microorganisms l Salting and sugaring tie water up to make it unavailable to the microorganism l A combination of drying and salting and sugaring can be used to produce an intermediate moisture food