September, 1999
By Bob Tritten
MSU Extension
I recently attended the Apple Cider Food Safety Control
Workshop in Washington, D.C. This workshop dealt with the status of research
into many of the cider safety techniques. The workshop was not designed
to share information on the HACCP rulemaking process, which is ongoing.
I will discuss this a bit later in this article.
As you know, many of the issues affecting cider are dynamic in nature and
Michigan's cider industry is very diverse. Hopefully information sharing
can help cider makers make the best possible decisions about their own operation
and future changes.
Following are short updates on several important topics, many of which were
presented at the workshop.
Warning label statement
Many growers are asking questions about the new Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) regulation regarding warning labels, which was introduced last fall.
The FDA requires warning labels on cider containers this season if the cider
has not received a five-log pathogen reduction processor kill step.
This warning label states “Warning - This product has not been pasteurized
and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness
in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems”.
For the 1998 season, the FDA allowed this warning statement to be placed
either on the label of the jug or a placard (or sign) close to the selling
area. However for the 1999 season this warning statement needs to be on
the product or jug. The FDA will allow this warning label to be on a sticker
as a temporary situation while cider makers use up their existing supplies
of labels. There are more specific details on this set of warning label
guidelines. The cider label manufacturing companies are aware of these regulations
and are following them closely.
The FDA also says these stickers need to be placed close to the label so
they are plainly visible to the consumer. You can get information and some
questions and answers about the specific requirements of the labeling rule
on the web at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/juicguid.html.
Timeline for HACCP rules
The much-anticipated HACCP rule is still under
development by the FDA and they anticipate finalizing it in the next few
weeks. It then goes to the Office of Management and Budget for a business
impact assessment. The earliest the FDA anticipates the rule to be final
is December 1999.
Therefore, nothing new is expected on this for the upcoming cider season.
Many believe the rule will contain a requirement for cider to undergo a
five-log reduction (such as pasteurization or other treatment) in pathogen
levels. However, barring any major outbreaks or other problems, it's expected
that the rule will be phased in over a few years for small processors. This
may allow time for some of the research to be completed and some of the
technologies to improve.
Washing and brushing
Current research suggests that washing and brushing
practices using the conventional flat bed style of brushes is not adequate
to remove the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. The research, done by Jerry Sapers
of the USDA lab in Pennsylvania suggests that this is the case even when
adding antimicrobial agents. This is probably due to the short exposure
and ineffective surface area brushing of the fruit.
While research continues on the use of washers and brushes, it needs to
be stated that washing and brushing still serve a useful purpose especially
in removing gross contaminants, superficially attached bacteria and pesticide
residues. It just indicates that this method will most likely not be effective
in reducing the chance of E. coli O157:H7 infecting fruit.
Apples and dump water
One key question that might affect the entire discussion
of washing, brushing and sanitizing whole fruit is whether internalization
of bacteria can be the source of contamination - in other words bacteria
that enters the fruit anytime between blossom and pressing.
We learned that one possible source of contamination is when warm apples
are placed into cooler water, a vacuum develops that will draw some water,
and possibly some bacterial contaminants, into the core of the apple. If
this is true, it has several implications on cider making. In the meantime,
be aware of this internalization factor and try not to dip warm apples into
colder water.
Ultraviolet light units
The FDA currently has a petition to approve the
use of higher intensities of ultraviolet light on fresh juices to eliminate
the target organism of E. coli O157:H7. While the technology has been in
use in water treatment plants and other drinking water operations for quite
some time, the intensity of the light needed for cider and other fresh juices
is such that higher levels are required. A California company has petitioned
the FDA for these UV light levels to increase. At this workshop the FDA
could not speculate on its approval, but did imply that they are placing
the request on an accelerated approval process.
Chemical treatments of apples
Research by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service
quantifies the effect of various whole fruit detergents and sanitizers on
E. coli O157:H7. They concluded that most compounds tested (chlorine, phosphoric
acid, trisodium phosphate, and peracetic acid) with and without the addition
of a surfactant similarly resulted in only a one- or two-log reduction.
Hydrogen peroxide however resulted in a three-log reduction without a surfactant
and four logs with one. They caution that hydrogen peroxide is not approved
for use on apples. Lastly, any punctures on the apple surface, like stem
punctures, allowed bacteria to grow and better survive treatments.
Dropped apples
Research over the last two years has shown that
drops or windfalls cannot be used in unpasteurized cider. The Good Manufacturing
Practices (GMPs) banned the use of drops in unpasteurized cider last year.
Ongoing research is trying to pinpoint the exact source of contamination.
This has been borne out again with the outbreaks in Canada last season.
The bacterial load on drops is much higher than on tree picked apples. Those
who pasteurize should also be careful about the use of drops and the quality
of the fruit being used.
GMPs
There haven’t been any significant changes
in the GMPs published by the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) for
this cider season. The GMPs are the guidebook that MDA uses in the inspection
process. Cider makers also need to be familiar with this document in terms
of the laws and regulations on cider making. These GMPs were mailed to cider
makers again last fall and handed out at several cider meetings over the
last year. The most recent copy of the GMPs is still available by giving
me a call. I will also include a MDA checklist used in the inspection process
that will be helpful to analyze your own operation prior to inspection.
Alternatives to heat treatment
Besides the ultraviolet light alternative to heat
treatment in order to reduce the pathogen load by five logs in cider making,
there are several other techniques that are being studied by scientists
around the country. Some of them seem to hold good promise. These techniques
include freezing and heating cycles, heating the apple before pressing,
ozone treatment of water and fruit, and sonication of whole fruit and on
cider. This sonication work is being done at MSU with funding from Project
GREEN, administered by MDA to MSU.
Please note that some of these new techniques may become available to cider
makers prior to the effective date of possible laws and regulations regarding
the five-log kill step. You’ll begin to hear about some of these techniques
at meetings and in various publications.
Custom Pressing
A Canadian outbreak last fall reiterated the concern that custom pressers
should take responsibility over the quality of fruit being pressed on their
equipment. A large processor in Ontario pressed apples that were extremely
mishandled by the grower responsible for the outbreak. Had the processor
rejected the obviously poor fruit or had some plan in place, he might not
have found himself in difficulty.
Cider group
As the cider industry witnesses much change, a
lot of discussion is taking place about the benefits of groups of cider
makers getting together to overcome and adapt to some of the changes.
In California, a group of cider makers formed the Apple Hill Growers Association,
to develop cider guidelines for members to follow in order to improve the
quality of their cider and to market their products. This cooperative requires
members to develop quality assurance plans, designate a quality control
supervisor, keep records from bloom to bottle, use grower agreements attesting
to growing and harvesting practices, and purchase apples that meet peeler
grade from packing houses.
The Michigan Apple Cider Guild is a new group whose mission is “Sharing
the heritage of apple cider and the standards of excellence for production,
education, and promotion.” This exciting concept formalizes the commitment
that already exists among Michigan cider makers to produce the safest and
the highest quality cider. Michigan cider makers will soon receive more
information about the guild as the organizing committee completes their
task of establishing a framework for a successful organization.
