Desenvolvimento de protocolos de segurança alimentar para produção de ingredientes alimentares clean label através de subprodutos da fruta

Abstract

In recent years, consumers have become more aware of the association between their food choices and their health, but also of the safety of these choices. As a result, their demands have increased, which, combined with the increasingly competitive market, has put pressure on the food industry to have even greater control over food products. Quality control is essential in the food sector in order to obtain a final product that meets consumer expectations and also fulfils legal safety requirements. Food safety is the most important feature of food quality and, in order to achieve this, it is essential to apply safety systems such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points). The aim of the internship was precisely to establish food safety protocols at the startup Molecule Message Lda., AgroGrIN Tech, which is a company specialised in the valorisation of fruit and vegetable waste and by-products. Its mission is to research, extract and commercialise natural, sustainable, clean label ingredients that promote health and well-being. At the moment, it is in a scale-up phase and its purpose is to implement a pilot line in order to start producing and commercialising the value-added products. This report describes the activities carried out during the internship period, in particular the HACCP plan, which was the main focus of the internship and part of the documentation related to the company's Integrated Management System Manual, which covers good hygiene and manufacturing practices. For the HACCP hazard analysis, a survey was carried out of all the expected hazards, based on those that would be the most common hazards to appear in fruit and fruit-based products, such as juices. When the HACCP plan was drawn up, a single critical control point was identified in the concentration stage, as this step is crucial for eliminating or reducing biological hazards. In addition, 15 control points were also determined, which was justified by the fact that the company is at an early stage and is aware of the uncertainties surrounding its raw materials and has chosen to initially perform stricter controls in order to guarantee the delivery of safe products, so that some of these control points will no longer make sense a few months after the start of production. The main objective of the internship was thus successfully achieved and enabled AgroGrIN Tech to take the first step towards quality control by establishing the respective food safety protocols, which is a fundamental step, since no company should start its activity without an effective and safe control system in place.

Date of Award	30 Jul 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	João Tiago Ribeiro Mendes Peixoto (Supervisor) & Débora Campos (Co-Supervisor)