IDM | Technology/IT
stands for yes-and-no: Yes to a risk from unboiled
raw milk, no to a risk after sterilisation.
A possibility of prevention is addressed as a
result, namely the thermal and/or chemical
sterilisation of the foodstuff as prevention.
Consequently, the method allows a certain
contamination of milk and yoghurts and
cheese, but kills the aggressors by means
of preservatives. This is where the description
of "cure" comes from. According to a
stipulation by the European Union, the additives
in foodstuff and cosmetics must be
listed and stated on the packaging with their
e-number or precise description. However,
they are suspected of triggering symptoms
such as headaches, nausea and allergies in
susceptible people and causing cancer, in
extreme cases. Due to the low immunity of
infants, the shelf life of baby food must not
be extended using preservatives.
Food chemists and biochemists know
about the reactions and side effects of
their inhibitors. Due to the side effects, they
mix a cocktail of chemical additives, some of
which only have the task of alleviating these
side effects. It goes without saying that
there are limits to the relevant dose. As is
known, this also applies for thermal treatment.
Pasteurisation at about 70 degrees
Celsius is aimed specifically at pathogens,
vegetative cells and germs such as tuberculosis
bacillus. But even higher temperatures
22 · 8 2017 | international-dairy.com
do not provide any greater relief, as virtually
every bacteria contains heat-resistant
endospores, which can survive even hours
of boiling. This means manufacturers generally
adopt a two-pronged approach for milk
products, in the form of thermal disinfection
with the addition of calcium sorbate
(E203), a derivative of sorbic acid. For susceptible
people, the health risks of calcium
sorbate include irritations of the mucous
membranes and pseudo-allergic reactions.
However, the German Additives Admission
Ordinance (ZZuIV), which regulates the addition
of preservatives, focuses less on these
secondary side effects in its threshold limits
and primarily on the target function of killing
germs. The Food Law must simply make
compromises and assess the various levels
of protection and set priorities.
Physics instead of chemistry
In the main, this is successful. There are no
major hygienic issues in dairy and cheese
products in Germany and Europe. Above all,
voluntary and official checks keep an eye
on quality and treatment of foodstuffs of
animal origin. The former Regulation (EC) No
882/2004, which is currently being revised,
might soon be replaced by an even stricter
EU control regulation. The EU agricultural
ministers agreed on this in July 2016. Various
authorities are currently working on the
implementation and national adaptation of
the new hygiene package: on a Regulation
on the Hygiene of Foodstuffs, on the Regulation
on the Hygiene of Foodstuffs of Animal
Origin and on an Ordinance regulating
the Inspection of Foodstuffs of Animal Origin,
to name but a few of the future official
documents. But, as already said, all these
papers deal with protection against contamination
and pathogens, and less with the
side effects of the protective measures.
The collateral health risk could be most effectively
reduced if infectious microbiology
did not contaminate foodstuffs in the first
place, if it were possible to physically shield
dairy products from stall and hall air contamination.
The industry is working on relevant
procedures. A few years ago, German-Israeli
company Fischer Planning from Netanya/
Israel presented filter technology for drinks
and foodstuff production ("Sterivent"),
which keeps semi-finished and ready-made
products free from germs – ultra clean – in
the storage containers by means of gauge
pressure. A blower in the sterile filter combined
with regulatory electronics provides
a constant gauge pressure, even when the
filling level drops. The result: filtered air can
only move from inside to out through any
potential leaks. The gauge pressure blocks
the path of the air from outside to in. A
modified principle also places a cover of
(source: Fischer Planning)