Implementation of HACCP plan for blue-mould tofu with focus on microbial hazards

Abstract: There is an increased request for vegan alternatives among consumers. This may depend on several factors, in many cases related to health and ethics. Food safety is very important to achieve in food production and there are several food safety management systems that can be applied to ensure that the food can be considered safe. Therefore, the first task in this study is to conduct a microbial analysis on a new vegan product, blue-mould tofu, to identify pathogens. The second task is to implement a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) plan for the product, with focus on microbial hazards. The purpose is to evaluate which procedures should be in place to ensure that the product is safe to consume. The product consists of soy and faba beans, and has similar sensory properties as blue-mould cheese. The production has been done at SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Science) in Uppsala Sweden, on a research level meanwhile this study was conducted. A literature review was performed to find out which microbial pathogens could be an issue in the product. A laboratory analysis was performed on cheeses from three different batches to identify pathogens in the product. The information from the literature review and the laboratory analysis was used to implement a HACCP plan with focus on microbial hazards. No pathogens were identified in the product except low counts of B. cereus. The results indicated that the product has a high hygienic status. Some batch variation was observed since growth of unidentified bacteria was more extensive in the first batch compared to the two others. It transpired that this happened in large part due to improved cleaning and personal hygiene during production. Boiling of bean milk is also a crucial step to ensure food safety, together with pH monitoring and control of raw ingredients (soy and faba beans). These three steps were identified as CCPs (Critical Control Points).