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O cook-chill é um sistema simples e controlado de preparação de alimentos, especialmente desenhado para aumentar a flexibilidade de um serviço clássico de restauração. O sistema permite que as refeições sejam confecionadas antecipadamente, submetidas de imediato a um arrefecimento rápido, mantidas a temperatura controlada (durante a validade atribuída) e regeneradas apenas quando necessário, permitindo alargar a oferta, ao mesmo tempo que se mantém a capacidade operacional de resposta.
A nível global, existem diversos referenciais que definem os limites das várias fases do processo, oscilando entre limites mais estreitos (emitidos pelas entidades europeias e Codex) e mais permissivos (emitidos pelas entidades americanas). Contudo, a possibilidade de ocorrência de desvios face às recomendações estabelecidas e a gama relativamente ampla de valores recomendados para esses limites nos vários referenciais sugerem, claramente, que não há consenso científico, abrindo margem para alguma flexibilidade na atribuição dos limites tempo/temperatura e do tempo de vida útil aos produtos cook-chill.
Para validar essa hipótese, procedeu-se à análise microbiológica de 748 amostras de produtos alimentares, servindo três propósitos diferentes: a avaliação do tempo de vida útil dos produtos; o estudo do comportamento dos alimentos que sofrem desvios na etapa de pré-arrefecimento; e a observação do que sucede aos produtos sujeitos a temperaturas não controladas no armazenamento. Assim, os resultados das análises microbiológicas efetuadas durante o tempo de vida útil dos produtos estudados permitiram validar o seu comportamento durante 14 dias após produção (D+14). Por outro lado, os testes microbiológicos indicam que uma exposição à temperatura ambiente durante três horas no período de pré-arrefecimento não afeta a qualidade microbiológica de nenhum dos produtos analisados, independentemente do momento da vida útil em que foi feita a análise. Finalmente, quanto às condições de armazenamento, uma exposição acidental a 12º C durante 12 horas não implica a destruição dos produtos.
Através da análise quantitativa de dados e considerando as recomendações globalmente emitidas sobre o tema, é possível admitir a adoção de novos limites a implementar nos procedimentos internos da empresa onde decorreu a presente investigação, com vantagens ao nível da tomada de decisões mais sustentadas sobre os produtos que sofrem desvios, resultando num eventual menor desperdício alimentar.
Cook-chill is a simple and controlled system, specially designed to increase the flexibility of traditional food service. It allows the cooking meals in advance, which are subsequently rapidly cooled, stored at controlled refrigeration temperature and heated when required for use. This permits the presentation of a wider range of meals without further complicating the procedures applied at the point of use. This approach is applied to food service all across the globe and subsequently many entities have provided recommended procedures for key steps in the process. Where the recommendations concern specific temperature and time regimes for processes, some of these are more restrictive (such as those from the European Union and Codex Alimentarius) and others generally more permissive (the United States recommendations). The relatively wide range of values for these limits in the various recommendation documents, clearly suggests that there is not a clear scientific consensus as to the food safety protection that compliance with these offers. In the light of the consequences of non-compliance with specific process parameters that some commercial operators adopt, often destruction of batches of product, it might be useful to analyze in more detail whether a more flexible approach, offering equivalent safety protection, might be more appropriate. In order to explore this possibility, a microbiological analysis was made on 748 food samples aiming to: assessing products’ shelf life; understanding what happens to products that exceed recommended exposure time in the pre-cooling stage; and observing product behavior when subject to uncontrolled storage temperatures. Thus, microbiological tests allow a validation of product behavior during 14 days after production (day+14). On the other hand, microbiological results show that when a product is exposed to room temperature for three hours during pre-cooling stage, this does not influence the microbiological food safety of any of the products studied, regardless of the shelf life moment at which microbiological test was performed. Finally, concerning storage conditions, this study proved that an accidental exposure at 12ºC for 12 hours didn’t compromise food safety, and product destruction is not really necessary. Through a quantitative data analysis and considering worldwide cook-chill recommendations, it is possible to redefine new limits to be considered on internal procedures of the company where the present investigation took place. That will help to support decision process of what to do to a product that didn’t meet recommendations, resulting on a food waste reduction.
Cook-chill is a simple and controlled system, specially designed to increase the flexibility of traditional food service. It allows the cooking meals in advance, which are subsequently rapidly cooled, stored at controlled refrigeration temperature and heated when required for use. This permits the presentation of a wider range of meals without further complicating the procedures applied at the point of use. This approach is applied to food service all across the globe and subsequently many entities have provided recommended procedures for key steps in the process. Where the recommendations concern specific temperature and time regimes for processes, some of these are more restrictive (such as those from the European Union and Codex Alimentarius) and others generally more permissive (the United States recommendations). The relatively wide range of values for these limits in the various recommendation documents, clearly suggests that there is not a clear scientific consensus as to the food safety protection that compliance with these offers. In the light of the consequences of non-compliance with specific process parameters that some commercial operators adopt, often destruction of batches of product, it might be useful to analyze in more detail whether a more flexible approach, offering equivalent safety protection, might be more appropriate. In order to explore this possibility, a microbiological analysis was made on 748 food samples aiming to: assessing products’ shelf life; understanding what happens to products that exceed recommended exposure time in the pre-cooling stage; and observing product behavior when subject to uncontrolled storage temperatures. Thus, microbiological tests allow a validation of product behavior during 14 days after production (day+14). On the other hand, microbiological results show that when a product is exposed to room temperature for three hours during pre-cooling stage, this does not influence the microbiological food safety of any of the products studied, regardless of the shelf life moment at which microbiological test was performed. Finally, concerning storage conditions, this study proved that an accidental exposure at 12ºC for 12 hours didn’t compromise food safety, and product destruction is not really necessary. Through a quantitative data analysis and considering worldwide cook-chill recommendations, it is possible to redefine new limits to be considered on internal procedures of the company where the present investigation took place. That will help to support decision process of what to do to a product that didn’t meet recommendations, resulting on a food waste reduction.
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Palavras-chave
Cook-chill Limites recomendados Segurança alimentar Vida útil Recommended limits Food safety Shelf life