Identification of hazards

The purpose of identifying hazards is to plan, avoid or mitigate their impact. Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) is a system that is being used to reduce potential hazards in a food production. This identifies what could go wrong in production process and established checks that will prevent or reduce risks. Thus this called hazard analysis which has three main types of hazard in food production, biological, physical and chemical. Physical hazard mean any extraneous object or foreign matter in a food item which may cause illness or injury to a person consuming the product. Source for such contaminant include raw material, badly maintained facilities and equipment, improper procedures and poor employee practices while biological hazard mean foods become dangerously infected by bacteria which might lead to food poisoning. Potentially dangerous chemicals and any other compound that may render a food unsafe for consumption is term as chemical hazard. It may lead to acute foodborne illness or food allergy.

Biological hazard :

One of the ways to produce monosodium glutamate or MSG is via bacterial fermentation. Corynebacterium glutamicum is used to produce massive amount of glutamic acid which then merely filtered out of medium and neutralized to make MSG. Presence of excess bacterium due to malfunction machine at filtration process may result in product contamination. Presence of excess contaminated water that enter at filtration process which may contain coliform or spore-forming bacteria or other microorganisms due to malfunction machine could cause contamination of desired product. Besides water filling may occur due to inadequate temperature could result in low temperature and subsequent under-processing. Insufficient headspace could result in excessive internal pressure during processing causing distorted seams and leakage contamination. Next, during tray drying contaminated water from wet and unclean post-process equipment could contaminate product. At storing, physical damage to cans or bottles could result in leakage and contamination of product. During shipping, any physical damage to cans could result in leakage and contamination of product.

Chemical hazard

Raw material like water could be contaminated with dissolved heavy metals or toxic substances. Via direct chemical synthesis of (S)-lysine which combine both chemical and enzymatic processes where the solution is prepared from cyclohexanol via cyclohexane. Presence of crack at tank contain cyclohexanol may cause explosion and cyclohexanol is released to surrounding and may cause severe irritation to eye and skin, chemical conjunctivitis and cornea damage. Besides spillage of hazardous chemical can cause toxic release to nearby environment may harm the workers at the work site. Presence of excess carginogenic heterocyclic amines during reaction flavors process and carcinogenic mono and dichloro propanols during acid hydrolyzed proteins process due to inadequate calibration of scale could cause contamination of products. In addition, cans that contain MSG could become contaminated with non-food chemicals if

improperly stored. For adverse food reactions it have food allergies and tolerances which consist of metabolic disorder-based reactions and pharmacological reactions.

Physical hazard

For physical hazard focus on plant which are ubiquitous in most workplace and bring the meaning of machinery, equipment, appliances or tools. Hazard associated with moving parts of machinery which have potential to cause injury by crushing, shearing, entangling, hitting or through uncontrolled release of pressure. From journal of OSH Body of Knowledge tittle physical hazard, 2012 it is stated that national workers’ compensation claims data for the year 2006 to 2007 a total of 14640 claims related to use of machinery and powered equipment, tools and appliances and there are 22 fatalities associated with this use.

Figure x Types of injury associated with use of plant (Safe Work Australia, 2006-07)

If there is any failure of any equipment in the factory, for instance a sharp edge of a stationary machine may cause a laceration if contact is made by a moving person (their own kinetic energy). Entanglement may occur if there is failure of a roller where a worker could become entangle in a rotating or moving component. In addition worker could be struck by an object either a controlled moving machine component or uncontrolled ejected material from a machine. Inappropriate design and protection against harmful extraneous material could result in contamination of product which occurs during tray drying. During vibrating screen, inappropriate design and protection against harmful extraneous material could result in contamination of MSG. Next, inadequate monitoring of foreign object removal could allow foreign objects to contaminate the product. Cuts, infection during packaging may occur due to poor standard operating procedures. Therefore, workers should fully understand standard

operating procedures provided by the management because any mistake occur during operation it can contribute to hazard.

References:

1. Pryor, P., Capra,M.(2012). Foundation Science. In HaSPA(Health and Safety Professionals Alliance), The Core Body of Knowledge for Generalist OHS Professionals. Tullamarine, VIC.Safety Institute of Australia

2. George B. Kauffman, California State University.The Monosodium Glutamate Story:The Commercial Production of MSG and OtherAmino Acids.Vol.8 No.3 March 2004.

3. Material safety data sheet cyclohexanol. Retrived at 15th December 2013 from http://avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/msds/cyclohexanol.htm

4. How natural is that flavor? The danger of MSG.Soil & Health Association of New Zealand Inc(est 1942). Retrieved at 15th December 2013 from http://www.organicnz.org.nz/node/463

5. Section 3-The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point(HACCP)System.Agriculture and Consumer Portection. Retrieved at 16th December 2013 from http://www.fao.org/docrep/w8088e/w8088e05.htm

6. Reducing hazards.BBC©2013.Retrieved at 16th December 2013 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/foodtech/systemspracticesrev7.shtml