Meat contamination
Meat products are great nutrition sources, but they are also great at causing bacteria growth, which may lead to food safety incidents. Some bacteria are more dangerous than others, and research in food contamination has primarily focused on pathogens transmitted through food, and not so much on spoilage organisms, which are typically less dangerous.
The main difference between the two is that the consumption of food with pathogen contamination can cause serious diseases, while the consumption of food with spoilage organisms typically does not cause diseases. However, spoilage organisms can reduce product quality and shelf life, leading to extensive economic losses, which is why it should not be overlooked. Additionally, in food processing plants, pathogens and spoilage organisms coexist and affect each other, thereby understanding both is crucial to attain a more sustainable and safe food industry.
Meat products obtain spoilage organisms in the processing stages more often than from animals or humans. Luckily, these spoilage organisms are often visible/detactable through, for instance, color changes. Besides checking for color changes, checking the position and shape of meat products is important for a successful packaging process. For example, if meat slices do not fit into their container, you will risk food contamination in the package seal when welded.
Dairy contamination
As with meat production, cheese production involves numerous challenges that can compromise the final product. Cheese products must contain the right kind and the right amount of mold, and therefore it is important for cheese producers to meticulously oversee the entire cheese-making and aging process. During ripening, mold spots may occur in cheese blocks if oxygen is trapped under the plastic, or if there is moisture or the temperature is too high.
Spoilage organisms like the wrong kinds of mold, or foreign objects such as plastic are often visible and can be detected with the human eye. However, unlike the human eye, automated vision inspection does not grow tired, and can inspect cheese products much quicker and more efficiently. This brings us to the solutions for the problem of contaminated food and potential food incidents...
