SPRAY DRIED

CHICKEN SOUP

POWDER

[SPOILAGE AND

PACKAGING]

BY: PRATHAMESH KUDALKAR

13FET1011

DEHYDRATED SOUP POWDERS

Dehydrated soup powder is an extract of meat and/or

vegetables thickened by flour and spiced to give

required taste.

Dehydrated soups have the advantage of minimum

bulk, volume and hence offer ease of handling,

packaging, storing and transporting.

Soup powders are convenient from the point of view of

consumers because it offers an instant access to soups

bypassing tedious cooking process.

Ingredients in Dried Chicken Soup Powder

Starch Deh. Vegetables(5-8%) Soy Sauce Pow.

Salt Deh. Chicken (2.5-4%) Flavor Enhancers

Wheat Gluten Hyd. Vegetable Protein Thickener

Spices Edible Vegetable Oil Acidity Regulators

Factors Affecting Microbial Growth

The following factors contribute to the growth of

microorganisms.

Intrinsic Extrinsic Implicit Processing

pH Storage

Temperature

Synergism Fermentation

Water Activity Relative

Humidity

Antagonism Refining

Nutrient

Content

Composition

of

atmosphere

Commensalism Pressing

Antimicrobial

Content

Packaging

INTRINSIC FACTORS

1. pH

pH of dehydrated soup mixes was found to lie

anywhere between 4.9-6.5.

pH is dependent on added ingredients.

Though the slightly acidic pH of soup powders is

conducive to the growth of microbes, it isn’t a

determining factor for microbial growth.

2. Water activity

Water activity of soup powders lies between 0.2-0.3

Moisture content of soup powders are usually less

than 5%, this explains the low water activity.

Low water activity of soup powders is most

influential factor contributing to extended shelf life.

Microbial growth at this water activity is not possible

INTRINSIC FACTORS

3. Nutrient Content:

Dried soup powders

are low in nutrient

content.

Low nutrient content

and high salt content

inhibit the growth of

microbes.

4.Antimicrobial Agents:

Soup powders have high content of various spices.

Most of the spices have antimicrobial properties.

Per Serve

Energy (kcal) 30

Carbohydrates(g) 6

Protein (g) 0.7

Total Fat (g) 0.6

Trans Fat Nil

Sodium (mg) 539

Dietary Fibres Nil

EXTRINSIC FACTORS

1. Temperature:

Changes in temperature from 0 degree Celcius to 45

degree Celcius were found have almost no effect on the

microbial load in soup powder. It remained always low.

Storage Temperature does have an effect on caking of

soup powders. If the storage temperature exceeds ‘Sticky

point temperature’, soup powder undergoes caking.

Anticaking agents increase this temperature.

Relative Humidity

Relative humidity has far and wide effects on the growth

of microorganism in soup powders.

Low relative humidity is desirable for prolonged shelf life.

High relative humidity facilitates the growth of moulds

and yeast.. It is also responsible for caking.

Packaging material should be such that effect of relative

humidity must be minimized.

MICROORGANISMS 1. Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is associated with skin, nasal passage and mucous membranes of animals.

Contamination has been found on poultry samples.

It cannot sustain the heat treatment and further drying used in the manufacture of spray dried soups.

But during the storage and transportation of poultry products, it may grow and later form enterotoxins.

Enterotoxins are heat stable and cannot be destroyed in further processing. They are the causative agents of food poisoning.

Its contamination can be minimized by sanitizing and following GMPs

MICROORGANISMS 2. Bacillus cereus

Bacillus cereus is a spore forming bacterium widely distributed in nature and found in soil, dust, water etc.

Usual sources of contamination in soup powders is through the addition of starchy material which is not subjected to heat treatment.

They are also found in some of the spices.

They produce a toxin which cause diarrhoea and other food borne illness.

0-10^3 cfu/g were found in 98% of soup samples analyzed. Toxic limits are from 10^6-10^9 cfu/g

Their growth in dehydrated soup powders is hampered due to low water activity.

MICROORGANISMS 3. Clostridium Perfringens

C. perfringens is most commonly associated with the consumption of cooked, uncured meat products that have been cooled slowly or stored under inadequate refrigeration and then consumed without thorough reheating.

Outgrowth of these microbes is mainly due to mishandling of soup while reconstituting.

It is one of the most common food poisoning agent having symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal cramps. 10^6 cfu/g microbes are required for food poisoning.

About 4% of total chicken soup powders analyzed contained 10-30 cfu/g C. perfringens. Though this number is low, they multiply rapidly once they start growing.

Can be controlled by proper cooking methods.

MICROORGANISMS 4. Moulds

Though moulds don’t grow in dehydrated chicken soup powders, Aflatoxins produced by moulds are frequently detected in certain dry soup ingredients and in particular in spices.

It is recommended that monitoring of such ingredients for aflatoxins is considered.

Mould growth is also possible if there is damage in packaging material which facilitates the entry of moisture content in soups.

5. Salmonella

Salmonella contamination is common if foods of animal origin.

It is easily destroyed by the heat treatment.

It is used as process hygiene indicator related to contamination.

PACKAGINGCurrently, the industry

standard for packaging

dehydrated soup mixes is

to pack them in

multilayered packs in which

Aluminium foil is bound to

polyethylene using a wax

substrate.

Aluminium foil serves the

purpose of blocking

moisture content from

atmosphere.

If moisture propagates

through packaging, it may

lead to microbial growth

and lump formation.

MODIFICATIONS IN PACKAGING

Spices, dried vegetables and dried chicken are the

major microbial contaminants in chicken soup powder.

Gamma rays of dose 3-5 kGy can be used for

irradiating the soup powder just before packaging.

Permissible dosage of Gamma rays is 10kGy and they

don’t have any damaging effect on food.

It will ensure that all undesirable microbes are killed thus

extend the shelf life.

Many chicken soup mixes consist of added chicken fat

for enriching the flavor.

These fats get rancid over the period of time

contributing to off flavors.

Oxidation of these fats can be avoided by the use of

packaging material which contain oxygen scavengers

hot-melt bonded to inner wall of package.

REFERENCES Microbiological Specifications for Dry Soups and

Bouillons, and Ingredients to be used for Dry Soups and Bouillons (2007) – New AIIBP Guidelines

Food Properties Handbook, Second Edition edited by M. Shafiur Rahman

Handbook of Poultry Science and Technology, Secondary Processing edited by Isabel Guerrero-Legarreta, Ph.D

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISDirectives/5100.2/Meat_and_Poultry_Hazards_Controls_Guide_10042005.pdf

Spice, Dry Soup and Asian Flavorings- Katherine MJ Samson

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/77ffde83-dc51-4fdf-93be-048110fe47d6/Shelf_Stable_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

REFERENCES http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/chapter/bk9781905224

661-00083/978-1-90522-466-1#!divabstract

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~chenx088/research.php?topi

c=caking

Handbook of Food Powders: Processes and Properties

edited by B Bhandari, N Bansal, M Zhang, P. Schuck

Encapsulated and Powdered Foods edited by Charles

Onwulat

Modern Food Packaging- Indian Institute of Packaging

THANK YOU!