University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) - Research portal
Gewählte Master / Diploma Thesis:
Marlies Feichtinger
(2014):
Hygiene Assessment of Food Packaging Materials.
Master / Diploma Thesis - Institut für Lebensmittelwissenschaften,
BOKU-Universität für Bodenkultur,
pp 191.
UB BOKU
obvsg
- Abstract:
- Packaging materials are of great importance for the maintenance of food quality and safety since they are used to protect the product from environmental influences and to guarantee the quality of the product throughout a defined shelf-life period. Hence, the hygiene status of the packaging material is of major relevance. In the European legislation, food packaging is not sufficiently covered yet, as neither approved standards nor microbiological threshold levels exist. In particular, paper-based packaging materials may pose a higher risk for microbiological contamination since paper is a natural product, which is not sterile like, e.g., synthetically produced plastics. In this study, a method for the enumeration of the microbial load (total colony count, yeasts and molds and Enterobacteriaceae) of packaging material surfaces was developed. For this purpose, two paper laminates, a paper-aluminum and a paper-PET laminate, were investigated. Additionally, different growth media were compared for each parameter followed by subsequent method validation using quantitative reference materials of representative microorganisms, aiming at achieving a maximum recovery rate at low contamination levels. Specific environmental influences (air and water) from the production plantwere screened and evaluated for their potential to contaminate the packaging materials and subsequently the food.
- Beurteilende(r): Kneifel Wolfgang
- 1.Mitwirkender: Zitz Ulrike
- 2.Mitwirkender: Domig Konrad