The canning of food is to put the food after a certain treatment into the packaging container, sealed sterilization, so that the canned food and the outside world is no longer isolated from microbial contamination, and at the same time kill most of the micro-organisms in the can (i.e., can grow in the environment of the can of rotting bacteria and pathogenic bacteria) and make the enzyme inactivation, thus eliminating the main causes of food deterioration and corruption, the main reason for food. The method of obtaining long-term preservation at room temperature. This sealed in the container, and can be long-term preservation of food is called canned food, commonly known as canned food. Generally refers to fruits, vegetables, edible fungi, livestock and poultry meat, aquatic animals and other raw materials, processed by processing, canning, sealing, heating and sterilization and other processes processed into a commercially aseptic canned food, common metal cans, glass jars, ordinary flexible packaging, high-barrier soft packages and other forms of packaging. The current national standard for canned food safety is GB 7098-2015, which applies to canned food and does not apply to canned auxiliary food for infants and young children, and the standard has been implemented for more than five years. This time, we focus on explaining the terminology and classification of canned food, the main content of the relevant standards, testing precautions and risk analysis.
Terminology and classification
Fat hearing: due to microbial activity or chemical action within the canned food to produce gas, the formation of positive pressure, so that one end or both ends of the phenomenon of convexity.
Commercial sterility: the state of a canned food product that has been moderately heat sterilized to be free of pathogenic microorganisms and free of non-pathogenic microorganisms capable of reproducing therein at usual temperatures.
Product classification: with reference to GB/T 10784-2020 "Classification of Canned Food", canned food is divided into 11 categories, including canned animal and meat, canned poultry, canned aquatic products, canned fruits, canned vegetables, canned edible fungi, canned nuts and seeds, canned grains and miscellaneous grains, canned eggs, canned infant supplements, canned others, etc., in accordance with the characteristics of different raw materials, production processes and products; while in 2020, there are 11 categories of canned food. and other 11 categories; and March 2020 release of the production license classification of canned food into canned livestock and poultry and aquatic products, canned fruits and vegetables and other canned food in three categories.
Categories easily confused: easily confused with meat products (e.g., commercially aseptic meat products in sauce and marinade, vacuum soft-packaged cooked meat products, etc.), aquatic products (e.g., soft-packaged cooked animal aquatic products), vegetable products (e.g., soft-packaged pickled vegetables in sauce and pickled vegetables), and convenience foods (e.g., shredded chicken chow mein and spicy shiitake mushrooms on rice) and other foods. Canned food is easy to confuse more categories, distinguish between attention to reference to the production license issued by the category, the implementation of standards and shelf life and other comprehensive view. There is the implementation of commercial aseptic food is not necessarily canned food, in particular, we must pay attention to the same name from the same enterprise may be the same name of the product, based on the implementation of standards, such as some of the name of the soy sauce marinated meat products may also be canned food; but also pay attention to the confusion of the packaging for the canned food, but not canned food licensing, such as bottled sauce, vacuum soft-packaged soy sauce, vacuum soft-packaged meat, vacuum soft-packaged egg products, canned fried foods, Pickles, jams, etc.
In addition, sampling of canned food between the various sub-categories are also easy to confuse. Such as canned corn, with reference to the basic standards of food classification, are divided into grains for corn, therefore, canned corn kernels are recommended to be attributed to other canned canned miscellaneous grains; reference to GB2763 taro, horseshoes classified as vegetables, canned taro, canned horseshoes are recommended to be classified as canned vegetables. Silver almonds, chestnuts classified as nuts, canned almonds, canned chestnuts is recommended to be categorized as other canned nuts and seeds canned.
Executive standard: GB 7098 can be implemented, there are a number of different categories such as GB/T 13516, GB/T 31116, GB/T 14215 and other recommended national standards, but also involves a number of QB/T type of industry standards and enterprise standards. However, it should be noted that, such as the implementation of GB 7096, GB 2726, GB/T 23586, SB/T 10381, SB/T
10369, SB/T 10556, SB/T 10557, SB/T 10614, SB/T 10652,
SB/T 10459 and other standards are generally not categorized as canned food.
Main contents of related standards
The standards of pollutant limits, mycotoxin limits, food additives use, etc. are associated with the basic standard requirements. According to the sub-category of canned food, for the pollutant limit, canned animal and poultry meat meets the requirements of GB 2762 for canned meat, and the limit of canned aquatic animals meets the requirements of GB 2762 for canned aquatic products; for aflatoxin B1, the limit of canned peanuts and canned corn meets the requirements of GB 2761 for peanuts and their products, and the limit of aflatoxin B1 for corn and their products; and for the food additives, the limit of canned vegetables meets the requirements of GB 2762 for canned food. The limit of canned vegetables meets the requirements of canned vegetables in GB 2760, canned edible mushrooms meet the requirements of canned edible mushrooms and algae, and canned corn and canned rice porridge meet the requirements of canned miscellaneous food. It is worth noting that tomato is easy to be contaminated by mold, due to the acidic nature of tomato itself, and the pH value suitable for mold is also weakly acidic, canned tomato paste is easy to cause mold growth and reproduction, GB 7098-2015 standard for canned tomato paste set the limit of mold and stipulate the visual field method; physical and chemical indexes, canned mackerel, sardines and other high-histamine fish to set the histamine limit; the value of canned rice is very susceptible to contamination of rice and algae, canned corn and porridge meet the requirements of miscellaneous food. In terms of physical and chemical indicators, a limit for histamine is set for canned mackerel, sardines and other high histamine fish, and a limit for mircoacid is set for canned silver fungus, which is susceptible to contamination by mircoacid.
Precautions for testing
Pre-preparation of samples: When preparing samples of canned food, pay attention to the number of samples, homogeneity and sample preparation sites according to the basic principles of judgment standards and test methods. Histamine project testing should pay attention to the stability of the sample preparation, inspection and re-inspection should be concerned.
Inspection Note: Canned food detection of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), may use SN/T 3855 and GB 5009.278, pay attention to the differences in the scope of application of the two methods. Canned goods involving raw materials such as pickled vegetables, cooked meat, etc., the detection of sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid and other indicators may also be matrix interference, the need for different principles of the method or mass spectrometry for comparison or further confirmation. Histamine indicators using GB 5009.208 second method, will be sucked up 2.0 ml of hydrochloric acid extract for the determination of the standard series of preparation to add 1.0 ml of hydrochloric acid solution is inconsistent, resulting in the sample tube of the low detection value, so pay attention to keep the sample tube and the standard tube of the acidity of the same. In addition, attention should be paid to the control of the amount of coloring agent.
Determination Note: In the basic standard determination, we should pay attention to first confirm that the canned products, especially GB 2760; pickled canned mushrooms, such as EDTA is allowed to be used in pickled mushrooms, the end-products determine the existence of the principle of carry-over; to pay attention to the new additions to the notice of GB 2760, such as stevia glycosides, which can be allowed to be used in canned grains and canned fruits; but also pay attention to the distinction between canned fruits and decorative fruits and vegetables. Canned fruit and decorative fruits and vegetables, although it may be canned products, but the product is labeled as decorative fruits and vegetables, such as the use of lemon yellow different regulations.
Legal basis:
"The People's Republic of China*** and the State Food Safety Law (2021 Amendment)"
Article 2 In the People's Republic of China*** and the State engaged in the following activities, shall comply with this law: (a) food production and processing (hereinafter referred to as food production), food sales and food service (hereinafter referred to as) (hereinafter referred to as food business);
(2) the production and operation of food additives;
(3) the production and operation of packaging materials, containers, detergents, sanitizers, and tools and equipment used in the production and operation of food (hereinafter referred to as food-related products);
(4) the use of food additives and food-related products by food production and operation;
(5) the storage and transportation of food;
(6) the use of food additives and food-related products by food production and operation; and ) the storage and transportation of food;
(vi) the safety management of food, food additives, food-related products.
The quality and safety management of primary products originating from agriculture for consumption (hereinafter referred to as edible agricultural products) shall comply with the provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products. However, the market sale of edible agricultural products, the formulation of relevant quality and safety standards, the publication of relevant safety information and the provisions of this Law on agricultural inputs shall comply with the provisions of this Law.