meat - J.S. Hamilton

23 June 20221 December 2022

Microbiological testing

The safety of food is a priority not only to consumers and manufacturers, but also to legislative bodies. That is why laws determine the necessary safety criteria that all food products need to comply with. In this article, we discuss those related to the microbiological parameters of food.

Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety, as amended, which is the basic piece of EU legislation formulating the principles and requirements of European food law, prohibits the placing on the market of food that is not safe. Food business operators are obliged to withdraw unsafe food from the market.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, as amended, lays down harmonised safety criteria for the evaluation of food products as regards pathogenic micro-organisms to increase the protection of public health and to avoid divergent interpretations. This regulation and subsequent amending regulations establish harmonised food safety criteria for certain pathogenic micro-organisms. These criteria also serve to validate and verify HACCP procedures and other hygiene control measures.

In the light of the legal acts cited, a distinction is made between:

1. food safety criteria, i.e. requirements determining the acceptability of a product or a batch of foodstuff, applied to products placed on the market. This group includes:
  - Salmonella (including serogroups Typhimurium and Enteritidis),
  - Listeria monocytogenes,
  - Cronobacter,
  - Escherichia coli,
  - Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) O157, O26, O111, O103, O145 and O104:H4,
  - Staphylococcal enterotoxins,
2. process hygiene criteria, i.e. requirements for the acceptance of a functioning production process. They do not apply to products placed on the market. These criteria determine the indicative value of contaminants, exceeding which corrective actions are necessary to maintain the hygiene of the process at the level compliant with the food law. This group includes:
  - Aerobic bacteria count,
  - Enterobacteriacae,
  - Salmonella,
  - Escherichia coli,
  - Campylobacter spp.,
  - Coagulase-positive staphylococci,
  - Bacillus cereus.

The microbiological laboratories of J.S. Hamilton Poland offer comprehensive hazard monitoring at every stage of production, including environmental control, using the methodology specified in Polish standards, harmonised with European and ISO standards.

In addition to the tests included in the above criteria, we also perform the following microbiological analyses:

Bacillus subtilis,
Bacillus coagulans,
Listeria spp.,
Cronobacter spp.,
Alicyclobacillus spp.,
Moulds and yeasts,
Lactic acid bacteria,
Acetic acid bacteria,
Aerobic psychrotrophic microorganisms,
Spore-forming and non-spore-forming anaerobes, meso- and thermophilic,
Clostridium perfringens,
Clostridium botulinum,
Enterococcus,
Pseudomonas,
Characteristic bacteria in yoghurt,
Osmophilic moulds and yeasts,
Durability testing by thermostat test.

In addition to classical, standardised methods, J.S. Hamilton Poland laboratories have validated and accredited rapid alternative methods, based on the BAX® automated system based on the detection of a specific DNA sequence characteristic for pathogenic microorganisms. These methods are applicable to testing food, environmental samples from food production and trade areas. Using the BAX® system, we can determine the presence of such pathogens as:

Salmonella,
Listeria monocytogenes,
Escherichia coli O157:H7,

and for meat and meat products, vegetables, fruit and sprouts:

Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157, O26, O111, O103, O145 oraz O104:H4.

As part of its services, J.S. Hamilton Poland also offers fast and precise detection of viruses present in ready-to-eat foods, which are not subjected to heat treatment during preparation and do not require heat treatment before consumption. These viruses mainly include:

Hepatitis A virus,
Noroviruses (also known as Norwalk viruses).

Using RT-PCR (reverse transcription PCR) we can determine their presence in matrices such as:

Fruit and processed fruit,
Vegetables and processed vegetables,
Environmental samples from the food production and marketing area.

Within the scope of accreditation, we also carry out microbiological analyses of drinking water, as well as tests of microbiological purity of packaging intended for contact with food.

23 June 202222 November 2022

Allergens

An allergen is an agent or substance that causes an allergic reaction. A food allergy is an abnormal reaction of the immune system to consumed products or compounds added to food, causing symptoms ranging from skin irritation to gastrointestinal disorders and anaphylactic shock.

The presence of ingredients in food products that may cause allergic reactions in consumers must be declared on the packaging. Food producers are not only obliged to carefully control the quality of the entire production and distribution process, but they should also monitor potential risks.

It is estimated that food allergies affect over 2% of the adult population and around 4-8% of children. Consumption of allergenic food by an allergic person may cause a reaction of the skin, digestive, respiratory and circulatory systems – urticaria, angioedema (larynx, lips, tongue, face), atopic dermatitis (eczema), asthma, rhinitis, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps, hypotension and life-threatening anaphylactic shock.

To ensure the safety of foodstuffs, rapid, sensitive and reliable methods for the detection and quantification of food allergens in food are needed that can be routinely used by the manufacturing plant or food safety and quality control agencies.

J.S. Hamilton Poland carries out qualitative and quantitative allergen tests in a modern Molecular Biology Laboratory in Tychy, both in finished products and in swabs and washings using methods based on immunoenzymatic determination of proteins and detection of specific DNA using real-time PCR technique.

Additionally, determination of lactose allergen is performed by GC-FID gas chromatography technique, while sulphur dioxide is tested through distillation method in food products containing not less than 10 mg/kg of sulphites.

Allergens tested at J.S. Hamilton Poland

lactose,
shellfish,
eggs,
fish,
mollusca,
nuts,
soy,
celery,
mustard,
sesame,
sulfur dioxide,
lupin,
milk,
gluten.

29 August 202231 October 2025

Trainings

ABOUT TRAINING COURSES

J.S. Hamilton Poland conducts prestigious seminars, trainings, workshops and laboratory classes aimed at the food, cosmetics and household chemistry, packaging and environmental protection sectors. The participants of training courses can be: technologists, quality and laboratory workers, production department employees, personnel responsible for quality and product safety, managers and employees of legal or marketing departments. Everyone can raise their professional competence, improve work efficiency and better prepare themselves to carry out their professional tasks at a relatively low cost of training. J.S. Hamilton Poland is registered in the Register of Training Institutions (RIS) and the Database of Development Services – PARP, which allows the participants of our training courses to obtain co-financing of training from public funds.

Moreover, the competence of the trainers and the quality of the trainings conducted have been confirmed by the ISO 9001: 2015-10 Certificate in the scope of training and development and consulting services.

AREAS OF TRAINING

Our offer includes training in areas such as:

Food safety and quality, including training courses and workshops covering: sensory evaluation, microbiological testing, allergen and GMO analysis, food safety management systems, HACCP, ISO 22000, FSSC, BRC and IFS systems for retail chains, commodity and food quality training;
feed safety, the implementation of HACCP procedures, the GMP+ system, the legal aspects of trade in feed and provisions relating to its labeling;
Packaging, including: training on BRC food packaging safety, global and specific migration, eco-design, life cycle and packaging recycling;
Cosmetics, including: training and workshops on sensory and microbiological analysis of cosmetics, legal requirements for safe use and labeling of cosmetic preparations;
Environmental protection, including: training and workshops on sewage sludge management, packaging waste management, municipal tasks in the field of environmental protection, charges for using the environment;
Chemicals and petroleum products, including: training in liquid fuel sampling light fuel oil sampling, test methods for fuel oil and liquid fuels, quantity accounting for fuel oil.

TRAINING STAFF

Training courses are conducted by lecturers drawn from our own staff, using their extensive knowledge and experience. We also invite experts and auditors of leading certification companies, employees of consulting companies from Poland and abroad to give lectures.

The mission of our company is to take care of the welfare of our customers by satisfying the educational needs of the participants of our seminars and training courses and by organising training courses at the highest level.

TRAINING PACKAGES

We offer training packages, covered by a special discount, which will allow you to obtain the necessary knowledge in a given subject. After each training included in the package you receive a certificate confirming your participation in the training, and completion of the whole package guarantees obtaining a specialist certificate.

CLOSED TRAINING

In order to meet the expectations of our clients, we organise training adapted to the needs and specificity of the company. Each training included in the training schedule can be realised as a closed training on customer’s request. This also applies to training courses which are not listed in the training schedule.

Training courses and workshops are organised at a time and location determined by the client. Programs are usually priced according to the number of days and the number of participants so that the company can save considerable sums of money in the case of larger groups and reduce travel and accommodation costs by organising the training at its own premises. Each participant receives training materials. The training ends with a certificate or attestation confirming the highest quality of training.

QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT ACADEMY J.S.HAMILTON POLAND

The Training and Audit Department of J.S. Hamilton Poland also invites for a cycle of training courses, which in a comprehensive way prepares present and future employees of quality departments of food industry companies for the role of managers responsible for the development, implementation and improvement of food and packaging safety and quality management systems.

In one semester (165 hours), students of the Academy acquire knowledge in the areas of food contaminants, sensory analysis, packaging regulations, quality management system requirements and food safety. Our lecturers, experienced auditors and managers of quality departments in food industry companies, share their practical knowledge with the students on how to carry out and document audits and interpret legal provisions.