Sampling and Analysis: Best Practices for Food Safety

Today's session will cover sampling and analysis in food production, and the importance of dialogue with the laboratory for robust results.

### Sampling and Analysis in Allergen Risk Assessment: Guidance and Case Studies
* 📊 The ILSC expert group developed comprehensive guidance on **sampling and analysis for allergen risk assessment**, including a peer-reviewed paper and a **free guidance document** available on the ILSC website.
* 🔍 The guidance covers different types of samples (finished products, ingredients, rinse waters, settle plates, environmental swabs) and provides a **tiered approach to sampling** based on the **level of concern and available resources**.
* The guidance emphasizes the importance of **multiple sampling** when cross-contact is suspected and provides rules for determining the **number of samples to take** based on batch size and allergen distribution.
* 📉 A case study of a pasta manufacturer explores the use of **quantitative risk assessment** to determine the need for **precautionary allergen labeling** for eggs in ravioli production.
* 🏭 The case study includes a **flow diagram of unit operations** and an assessment of the **likelihood of unintended allergen presence** in different areas of the facility.
* 📈 The case study highlights the importance of **understanding where unintended allergen presence is most likely to occur in the production process** before designing a sampling plan.
* 💼 The guidance and case studies provide practical tools for food manufacturers to implement a **harmonized and systematic approach to allergen risk assessment**, helping to prevent unsafe goods on the market and **avoid reputational damage**.

### Allergen Cross-Contact Risk Assessment in Food Processing
* 🌾 The presentation discusses the importance of **assessing allergen cross-contact risks** in food processing facilities to **protect consumers with allergies**.
* 🔬 Dr. Michael Walker emphasizes the need for **effective sampling and analysis** in allergen risk assessment, highlighting the importance of **clear communication with laboratories** and **understanding performance characteristics**.
* 🍞 Three case studies are presented: one involving **sesame seeds in a bakery**, another with **milk residues in fruit juice production**, and a third focusing on a **CRP process with turbid milk contamination**.
* 📊 Professor René Crevel explains the use of **quantitative risk assessment (QRA)** to identify high-risk points in the production process, emphasizing the need for **thorough knowledge of the facility and equipment**.
* 🔍 For the sesame seed case, a visual examination is recommended due to the **particulate nature of the allergen**, while the milk contamination case requires **more complex sampling and analysis**.
* 📈 The presentation stresses that QRA should **complement, not replace, effective allergen control measures**, and should never be used to justify **reducing efforts to manage allergen risks**.
* 📚 Reference materials and guidelines are provided for those interested in further exploring **allergen risk assessment and management**.
* 👩 The importance of **harmonizing terminology and communication** between different stakeholders in the food industry is highlighted as a key aspect of **effective allergen management**.

Webinar - Sampling Inputs on Allergen Quantitative Risk Assessment

ILSI Europe

The Practice Community's Quantitative Allergen Risk Assessment Project

The Practice community at Practice selected the topics of sampling and analysis for the session, covering the implementation of quantitative risk assessment in the food chain.

The project resulted in a peer-reviewed paper, the ILSC black and white guidance document, and the establishment of a LinkedIn community of practice for information sharing.

The sampling and analysis section of the guidance provides comprehensive analysis of the amount of unintended allergen presence in food, including guidance on sampling and the overall plan for testing based on risk assessment.

The project aims to provide practical guidance, promote a harmonized approach to sampling, and allocate the required resources for effective risk assessment.

Strategies for Effective Sampling in Food Safety

Guidance justifies high resource expenditure to prevent unsafe products, minimizing reputational damage.

Sampling types include finished products, ingredients, rinse waters, and environmental swabs, each providing different measures of contamination.

A tiered sampling approach is recommended based on the level of concern and available resources, with specific guidance on the number of samples needed for different scenarios, aiming to maximize the possibility of detecting allergen presence.

Analyzing Allergen Presence in Food Samples

Analyzing all samples is necessary when the variation in allergen concentration across the batch needs to be known or in a time-sensitive situation.

If time and resources are limited, and the detection limit is adequate, it's not necessary to analyze all samples.

Dividing the samples into two sets and analyzing them separately can provide concrete evidence of whether action is necessary based on the allergen concentration.

Strategies for Sampling Unintended Allergens

Preserving half of each individual sample allows for the possibility of re-analysis with different combinations if needed.

The distribution of unintended allergens can be influenced by the nature of the product and the production process, which can be taken into account when planning the sampling approach.

Dialogue with the laboratory and increasing the test portion size can also improve the robustness of the results and the guidance provided by various sources is valuable for planning and recording the sampling process.

Practical Guidance for Sampling and Analysis in Allergen Management

Practical guidance is provided for sampling, analysis, and resource allocation in allergen management.

The case study focuses on a company manufacturing both egg-containing and egg-free pasta, aiming to explore the need for precautionary allergen labeling.

The presentation outlines the process flow, areas of likely allergen presence, and the characteristics of cross-contact hazards for the company's products.

Risk Assessment for Allergenic Food Cross-Contact

Thorough mixing results in an even distribution of allergenic food, affecting the probability of cross-contact.

The priority points for sampling include defing, pasteurization, and packaging, with a need for investigation if a positive is found.

Quantitative risk assessment requires analytical data for validation and verification, especially in the case of allergenic food absence or presence below the reference levels.

The case study focuses on sesame as both an ingredient and a potential cross-contact agent in a bakery, identifying areas with a theoretical possibility of cross-contact and emphasizing the importance of segregation and cleaning in manufacturing operations.

Challenges in Quantitative Risk Assessment for Cross-Contact Allergens

Sesame seed presence in the final product makes quantitative risk assessment challenging.

The risk assessment for cross-contact with milk in fruit juices shows a high probability during certain unit operations.

The key principle emphasized is to have a deep understanding of the equipment and facility to ensure the production of a safe product.

Key Points for Laboratory Testing Service Negotiation

Accreditation for the tests, proficiency testing, and performance characteristics are vital in negotiating laboratory services.

It's important to discuss how the lab handles results that are beyond their validated range and who covers the cost of validating new matrices.

Scalability of operations and the ability to provide extra resources during high sample volumes should also be addressed in the negotiation.

Confusion Around Quantification Limits in the Industry

The use of LQ for both the upper and lower limits of quantification causes confusion in the industry.

Differentiating between LOD and LOQ is a common practice, but there is a lack of clear wording for the upper limit of quantification.

Education and clear communication are essential in helping industry professionals understand quantification limits.

In-depth Discussion on Sampling and Analysis

Detailed visual examination is recommended for a morphous clumping of products, leaning towards homogeneous sampling principles.

Trend analysis of consumer complaints is important for product acceptance, despite potential silos within companies.

The session closes with gratitude to the speakers and a reminder to join the community of practice for future events.