design and facilities - the codex general principles of food hygiene

Good Hygiene Practices along the coffee chain

The Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene – Establishment: design and

facilities

Module 3.2

Module 3.2 – The Codex General

Principles of Food Hygiene – Establishment: design and

facilities

Objectives

To make trainees aware of the importance of good hygienic design and construction of food establishments

To relate the general code to the handling and processing of coffee

To create awareness of the roles of different stakeholders in ensuring good practices



facilities

Content

Scope and objectives of Section IV of the Codex General Principles of Food Hygiene

Discussion of food hygiene principles relevant to ‘Establishment: design and facilities’ and their application to coffee handling and processing

Discussion of the roles of producers and government in ensuring good practices



facilities

Establishment: design and facilities

Codex definition of establishment:‘...Any building or area in which food is handled and the surroundings under the control of the same management.’

Objective of Section IV Depending on the nature of the operations, and the risks

associated with them, food establishments should be designed and constructed and equipped to ensure that• Contamination is minimised• Appropriate maintenance cleaning and disinfection is

permitted



facilities

Establishment: design and facilities

Food hygiene considerations are important at the very first stages of planning a food establishment

Section IV of Codex GPFH covers: Location of establishments Premises and rooms – design, layout and internal

structures Design of equipment and its placement in the

establishment Supporting facilities and services



facilities

Location of establishments

Establishments should not be located near Polluted areas that pose a serious threat of contaminating food Areas prone to pest infestation Areas prone to flooding, high humidity, etc. Areas from which waste cannot be easily removed



facilities

Design and layout of establishments

Internal design and layout of establishment should Permit good hygiene practices Minimise possibility of cross contamination

There should be separate channels for Raw material (fresh cherries) Intermediate product

(parchment, dry cherries) Waste (pulp, husk) Final product (green beans)

Waste

OfficesEnd-

productsWarehouse

Raw

mat

eria

ls

Work rooms

Generalised lay-out for processsing facility showing

product flow



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Layout of facility

To optimize proper functioning of each element of procedure

Pulpers should be located near a clean water source

Fermentation vats should be located near to pulpers

Waste outlet should be directed away from production and processing areas

Drying yards and other processing areas should be away from contamination vectors



facilities

Design and construction of drying areas

Coffee drying yards should have Adequate capacity Smooth drying surfaces Adequate provisions for drainage Full exposure to sunlight



facilities

Design and construction offermentation vats

Fermentation vats should Be located in the pulping house Be adequate in number and

capacity Have smooth surfaces Have a maximum depth of 1m Slope gently towards the outlet



facilities

Internal structures and fittings

Internal structures should be Made of durable materials Easy to clean and maintain

Tiled and smooth surfacessuitable for cleaning

Open beams and raftersaccumulate dust



facilities

General considerations Walls and partitions should be easily cleaned Floors should be constructed to allow adequate cleaning

and drainage Ceilings and overhead fixtures should be constructed to

minimise build up of dirt and condensate Working surfaces in direct contact with food should be

durable and easy to clean

Internal structures and fittings



facilities

Facilities - air quality and ventilation

Adequate ventilation is required to Minimise build-up of dust and husk particles

from handling operations Control temperature and prevent

condensation Dissipate odours that might taint the coffee



facilities

Facilities - lighting

Adequate natural or artificial lighting should be provided to enable operations to be

carried out satisfactorily



facilities

Facilities - storage

Adequate storage facilities should be provided for coffee to permit Adequate maintenance and cleaning Avoid pest access and harbourage



facilities

Facilities - storage

Adequate storage facilities should be provided for coffee to Enable food to be protected from contamination

during storage

Storage in a wet room with mouldy walls

Thulha - Brazil



facilities

Facilities

Containers for storage of dangerous materials (fuel, chemicals for cleaning, disinfestation, etc.) should be clearly marked and safely stored

Water supply - water of acceptable quality standard should be available for processing

Systems carrying unsuitable water should be separate

Electricity supply – operators should ensure alternative sources of electricity in case of cuts to the central power supply



facilities

Facilities

Drainage and waste disposal

Cleaning facilities - should allow for adequate cleaning of equipment and facilities

Personal hygiene facilities - adequate toilet, handwashing and changing facilities should be provided for staff

One of a series of ‘pools’ for treatment of waste

water, at one wet processing facility



facilities

Design of equipment

Equipment should be designed and constructed to ensure that they can be adequately cleaned and maintained

Sharp corners and crevices may create areas where food material can lodge,

making equipment hard to clean



facilities

Design of equipment

Where necessary, equipment should be movable or capable of being disassembled to allow for maintenance, cleaning, monitoring,

etc.

Pulpers used in wet processing



facilities

Design of equipment

Equipment should be designed such that their operation is compatible with conditions necessary to ensure food safety and suitability. Main types of equipment in coffee processing include

Dryers Pulpers Hullers Sorting equipment Moisture monitoring equipment

Several variations of basic coffee processing technology exist and different equipment may be used



facilities

Design features of simplesun-drying equipment

Coffee is spread on a support (wire tray, woven mat, etc.) raised off the ground. Air can circulate freely above and below the support

Trays might be movable or fixed When raining, trays are moved under a shelter or

covered with plastic or any other material



facilities

Design of simple solar dryers

Parabolic solar dryers - the shape of the transparent roof is more or less cylindrical so as to concentrate heat in the drying zone and protect from rain.

Heat cumulates between the coffee and the plastic and the air starts to circulate. This dryer is mounted on a pivot so it can be turned towards the sun.



facilities

Design of simple solar dryers

Various solar dryer designs can give faster drying times by

Improving airflow and increasing temperature of drying air

Participatory approaches are necessary if potential advantages of ‘solar technology’ are to be matched with farmers’ needs

Capacity, capital cost, running costs, space requirement, ease of management, etc.

For additional information see Section 5 of ‘Introduction to coffee drying [.pdf]’



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Design of equipment – mechanical dryers

Mechanical batch dryers are used in coffee drying - primarily for parchment Horizontal dryers Vertical dryers Fixed-bed type dryers



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Design features of pulpers

Traditional designs are ‘drum’ and ‘disc’ pulpers

Main performance criteria include Capacity; separation efficiency; physical

damage to product; durability; ease of maintenance and cleaning



facilities

Design features of pulpers

Important innovations are Low water-use pulpers Pulping systems that

accept mixtures of green and ripe cherry and separate the ‘greens’ without crushing



facilities

Design of hullers

Considerations in the selection of a huller include: Capacity Energy requirement Efficiency of husk removal Extent of physical damage to beans Separation of loose husk Durability Ease of maintenance



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Equipment for control and monitoring

Methods for the determination of water in coffeecan be categorised as follows

Direct Removal of water and determination of weight loss

Indirect Some variable that is dependant on moisture is measured

Empirical subjective This includes methods such as biting, shaking and cutting

NB - These empirical methods of moisture determination in coffee have been shown to be unreliable



facilities

Equipment for control and monitoring

Factors to be considered include Cost ‘Transportability’ Robustness Stability Repeatability Sensitivity Accuracy Rapidity

The choice of method / equipment depends on How the equipment is to be used Who is to use it



facilities

Equipment for monitoringmoisture in the field

Restricting water availability is the main method for control of mould growth and development throughout the coffee chain

The ‘global coffee project’ has investigated methods of moisture determination so as to identify methods suitable for use in the field

‘EDABO’ distillation method of moisture determination developed in Brazil

One type of low-cost moisture meter

investigated under the ‘global coffee project’



facilities

Location of equipment

Equipment should be located: To permit adequate

maintenance and cleaning

In accordance with requirements for proper functioning

To facilitate good hygiene practices, including monitoring



facilities

Assessment of establishment

A plant assessment can help processors determine if facility design is appropriate

A checklist containing all vital areas and items to be considered should be prepared

During the inspection notes should be made in relation to all points contained in checklist

Evaluation of the design and construction of the establishment and facilities should be based on thorough knowledge of operations and potential hazards

Corrective action taken according to evaluation



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Assessment of establishment

Establish national standards, codes of practice, etc.

Support industry efforts to meet required regulations (information dissemination, new equipment design etc.)

Provide oversight to ensure industry compliance

Collaborate with government in developing sound and practicable guidelines and standards

Entrepreneurs must ensure that the design of their establishment is consistent with principles of food hygiene

Entrepreneurs must establish adequate hygiene and GMP programmes to ensure that equipment functions properly and that they do not lead to hazards in the coffee

Government Local coffee industry



facilities

Summary

Inappropriate site selection for coffee processing facilities can lead to quality and safety problems in the product

Plant layout should minimize the opportunity for cross contamination

Facility design and construction can affect the quality and safety of coffee

Equipment must be designed and located so as to facilitate its correct functioning, sanitation and maintenance

Government and industry must work together to improve hygiene conditions of coffee processing establishments

design and facilities - the codex general principles of food hygiene

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