5. IMF or not?

Did some research over the week and i found out that peanut butter has a water activity of 0.7.

and peanut butter is an INTERMEDIATE MOISTURE FOOD as its water activity of 0.7 falls into the IMF range of 0.6 to 0.85.


References:

Department of Health, education and welfare public health service. Food and drug Adminstration. Water activity in food. Available online: http://www.fda.gov/ora/inspect_ref/itg/itg39.html (accessed: 24 April 2008)

Smith D. Stratton J.Understanding GMPs for sauces and dressings. Food processing for entrepreneurs series. Available online: http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1599/build/g1599.pdf (accessed: 24 April 2008)

4.

Our group did decided to do either bolognese sauce from Bistro Walk or Cookies from Famous Amos, but yet both recipes werent approved by Dr Lee.

So after much discussion, we changed our product to peanutbutter (:

Our online discussion had just ended and we came to a consensus.

We, each, were given a task to research on and we were done with the HFLA template.

Scheduled for a time to meet up as well.

Peanut butter an IMF or HMF food? What kind of microbes grow well in it? (: these i got to find out!

3. RECIPES (:

RECIPE FOR FAMOUS AMOS COOKIES

Ingredients:
1 c. butter (softened)
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. raisins
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Method:
Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with mixer at high speed until creamy. Add vanilla, eggs; blend thoroughly.
By hand stir in flour, baking soda, and salt until well mixed.
Stir in raisins and chocolate pieces; spoon dough by teaspoon 1 1/2 inches apart to allow spreading.
Bake 8 minutes at 375 degrees.
Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 6 dozen.

Reference:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1910,157181-242194,00.html

RECIPE FOR MRS FIELD’S COOKIES

Ingredients:

cream together
2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar

Add
4 eggs
2 tablespoons Vanilla

Mix together
4 cups Flour
5 cups oatmeal (blend until it becomes powder)
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons baking soda

Method:
Mix all ingredients together.
Add 24 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips, one 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated) and 3 cups chopped nuts (any kind).
Bake on ungreased cookie sheets.
Make golf-ball sized cookies, 2" apart
bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes
Makes 112 cookies.


Reference:http://www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/7909 http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1910,154165-234194,00.html

2.

Avian Influenza

Avian influenza is a virus that infects domestic poultry such as chickens and ducks. It is also known as bird flu or H5N1.

There are 2 groups of Avian Influenza strains. and they are the low pathogenic avain influenze (LPAI) and the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)

LPAI occurs in wild birds and is able to spread to domestic birds. no signs of infection would be shown. LPAI is of little threat to human health. however, HPAI found in chickens and ducks spreads faster than LPAI, has a higher death rate in birds and is fatal.

This virus is commonly spread by direct contact and indirect contact. Healthy birds in contact with the infected birds, would possibly caught the virus. The virus can also be spread by indirect contact with contaminated equipment and materials.

The virus can be found in the faeces of infected birds, and even on shells of eggs.
HPAI can infect the egg yolk, albumen or the egg white. In direct contact with infected birds, HPAI can be spread to humans and consequences are undesirable.

Avian Influenza would not be transmitted when poultry or eggs are not properly prepared. This is because when infected hens stopped laying eggs, it is a sign of illness, and the eggs that were layed by the infected hens would not be washed and graded as the shells of these eggs are weak. Thus, stopping the production of eggs when an outbreak of HPAI is suspected even without a confirmed diagnosis of the virus. That is why eggs sold in the markets are safe to consume and is unlikely to be contaminated with the virus.

Salmonella, being the common foodborne pathogen in eggs, might cause the body to be ill. Eggs, poultry products should be cooked thoroughly and to the right temperature, this can prevent Salmonella to flourish. Also, it is important to prevent cross contamination between raw and cooked food.


Reference
U.S. FDA/Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition. (2004). What Consumers Need To Know About Avian Flu. Retrieved: March 3, 2008. Available at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/avfluqa.html

Love,
Lynette

1.

The HFLA template and the HACCP templates have to be filled in and have it ready for submission, so my group members and i came together one morning.

We shared with one another on what we've found in our specific area of research.
Brainstorming was also done to identify the different potential hazards during the receiving of raw materials and even the processing steps of Mum's Pound Cake.

Also, we found out that eggs, one of the ingredients used to make the pound cake, contains pathogen of the genus Salmonella (Salmonella Enteritidis). Curious as we were, we went to find out more about Salmonella in eggs.

Indeed, eggs are excellent medium for the growth of many micro-organisms. Some of the micro-organisms that we have found are Salmonella and Staphyloccocus.

We asked ourselves whether Salmonella has a connection with the Avian Flu outbreak. And it was found that there is no epidemiological information that humans could have been infected by the Avian Influenza via the transmission of disease through contaminated food products based on the current scientific evidence available in the World Health Organisation (WHO).
WHO and other health authorities such as the European Food Safety Authority reiterates that even though the virus may not be passed into humans by raw meat or eggs, inactivation of the virus is possible by cooking food thorougly.

So cooking eggs or poultry products thoroughly is important.

For the next meet up session, we are to share information on Avian Influenza.


References
U.S. FDA/Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition. (2004). Analysis of Microbial Hazards Related to Time/Temperature Control of Foods for Safety. Chapter 4. Retrieved: March 31, 2008. Available at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/ift4-4.html

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, H.K. Risk Assessment Section (2005). Risk in Brief, Issue No. 22: Avian Influenza Viruses and Food Safety. Retrieved: 31 March 2008. Available at: http://www.fehd.gov.hk/safefood/report/avian_infl_virus/index.html



Love,
Lynette