Interventions for hazard control in foods during harvesting.

This chapter discusses the interventions applied during harvest of different food commodities. Current interventions applied in order to reduce hazards during the harvesting of beef cattle include physical and chemical treatments. Chemical dehairing is a decontamination process that involves the removal of hair from animals by using a sodium sulfide solution followed by a rinse with a hydrogen peroxide solution and water prior to dehiding. The approved methods to meet this requirement are knife trimming and vacuuming beef carcasses with hot water or steam, when such contamination is less than 1 square inch. Steam pasteurization treatments have been used in meat processing. Several chemicals with antimicrobial activity have been tested for usefulness as carcass sanitizers. The steps in poultry slaughter for which contamination is most likely to occur are the scalding and defeathering points. High-pressure processing is an alternative treatment used to eliminate pathogens from foods with no thermal pasteurization and extend the shelf life of foods. Some studies developed to test the effectiveness of radiation in decontamination of seafood have demonstrated that doses of 3 kGy or below are enough to eliminate pathogenic bacteria. There are multiple interventions for hazard control during harvest that are capable of reducing pathogenic bacteria in foods of different origin. Overall, the proper use of approved interventions/ decontamination methods will continue to enhance the safety of the food supply and allow producers to meet the demands and expectations of the consumers.