The canning of food is to put the processed food into a packaging container, seal and sterilize it, so that the food in the can is isolated from the outside world and no longer contaminated by microorganisms. At the same time, most microorganisms in the can (that is, spoilage bacteria and pathogenic bacteria that can grow in the can environment) are killed and enzymes are inactivated, thus eliminating the main causes of food deterioration and obtaining a method of long-term preservation at room temperature. This kind of food that is sealed in a container and can be preserved for a long time is called canned food, commonly known as canned food. Generally speaking, it refers to the commercial aseptic canned food with fruits, vegetables, edible fungi, livestock and poultry meat and aquatic animals as raw materials, which is processed by processing, canning, sealing, heating and sterilization, and the common packaging forms are metal cans, glass bottles, ordinary soft packages and high barrier soft packages. The current national standard for canned food safety is GB 7098-20 15, which is applicable to canned food but not to canned supplementary food for infants and young children. This standard has been implemented for more than five years. This paper focuses on the interpretation of the terminology and classification of canned food, the main contents of relevant standards, the matters needing attention in testing and risk analysis.
Terminology and classification
Fat listening: The phenomenon that one or both ends protrude due to the positive pressure generated by microbial activity or chemical action in canned food.
Commercial Sterility: The state that canned food does not contain pathogenic microorganisms or non-pathogenic microorganisms that can reproduce in it at normal temperature after moderate thermal sterilization.
Product classification: According to GB/T 10784-2020 classification of canned food, canned food is divided into canned meat, canned poultry, canned aquatic products, canned fruits, canned vegetables, canned edible fungi, nuts and seeds, canned grains and miscellaneous grains, canned eggs, canned food supplements for infants and young children, and other canned foods. The classification of production license issued in March 2020 divides canned food into three categories: canned livestock and poultry, canned fruits and vegetables and other canned foods.
Classification that is easy to be confused: It is easy to be confused with meat products (such as soy sauce and braised pork products that conform to commercial sterility, cooked meat products in vacuum soft packaging, etc.), aquatic products (such as cooked and brakable aquatic products in soft packaging), vegetable products (such as pickles in soft packaging), convenience foods (such as fried noodles with shredded chicken and spicy mushroom rice) and other foods. There are many categories of canned food that are easily confused. When distinguishing, please refer to the category of production license, implementation standards and shelf life. In addition, the foods that are commercially sterilized are not necessarily canned foods. In particular, it should be noted that products with the same name from the same enterprise should be based on the implementation standards. For example, some products with the name of sauce and braised pork may also be canned foods; It should also be noted that the easily confused outer packaging is canned food, but not canned food, such as bottled sauce, braised pork in vacuum soft packaging, egg products in vacuum soft packaging, canned roasted seeds and nuts, pickles, jam and so on.
In addition, the various categories of canned food are easily confused when sampling. For example, canned corn is classified into cereals according to the food classification in the basic standards. Therefore, canned corn grains are suggested to belong to other canned miscellaneous grains. According to GB2763, taro and horseshoe are classified as vegetables, and canned taro and horseshoe are suggested to be classified as vegetables. Silver almonds and chestnuts are classified as nuts, while canned almonds and chestnuts are suggested to be classified as nuts and seeds of other cans.
Implementation standard: GB 7098 can be implemented, and some others, such as GB/T/KOOC-0/35/KOOC-0/6, GB/T 3/KOOC-0//KOOC-0/6, GB/T/KOOC-0/42/KOOC-0. However, it should be noted that if GB 7096, GB 2726, GB/T 23586, SB/T 1038 1 and SB/T are implemented.
10369、SB/T 10556、SB/T 10557、SB/T 106 14、SB/T 10652、
Standards such as SB/T 10459 are generally not classified as canned food.
Main contents of relevant standards
The limits of pollutants, mycotoxins and food additives in the standard are all related to the requirements of the basic standard. According to the classification of canned food and the limit of pollutants, canned meat of livestock and poultry meets the requirements of canned meat in GB 2762, and the limit of canned aquatic animals meets the requirements of canned water products in GB 2762. For aflatoxin B 1, the limit of canned peanuts and canned corn meets the requirements of GB 276 1 for aflatoxin B 1 in peanuts and their products, and in corn and their products; For food additives, the limit of canned vegetables meets the requirements of GB 2760, canned edible fungi meet the requirements of canned edible fungi and algae, and canned corn and canned eight-treasure porridge meet the requirements of canned miscellaneous grains. It is worth noting that tomatoes are easily contaminated by mold. Because tomatoes are acidic and the suitable pH value of mold is weak, canned tomato sauce can easily cause mold growth and reproduction. GB 7098-20 15 standard sets the mold limit for canned tomato sauce and stipulates the visual field method. In terms of physical and chemical indexes, the limit value of histamine is set for canned fish such as mackerel, sardine and so on; The limit of rice fermentation acid was set for canned tremella which was easily contaminated by rice fermentation acid.
Matters needing attention in inspection
Sample preparation: when preparing canned food samples, pay attention to the sample preparation quantity, uniformity and sample preparation position according to the basic principles of judgment standards and inspection methods. Attention should be paid to the stability of sample preparation when testing histamine items, and to both inspection and re-inspection.
Attention: SN/T 3855 and GB 5009.278 may be used in the detection of disodium EDTA in canned food. Attention should be paid to the differences in the application scope of the two methods. Canned food involves raw materials such as pickled vegetables, cooked meat, etc. There may be matrix interference when detecting sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid and other indicators, which need to be compared or further confirmed by different principles and methods or mass spectrometry. When the second method of GB 5009.208 is used to detect histamine index, the detected value of the sample tube is low because the 2.0ml hydrochloric acid extract is inconsistent with the standard series of 1.0ml hydrochloric acid solution, so it is necessary to keep the acidity of the sample tube consistent with that of the standard tube. In addition, attention should be paid to the control of the amount of developer.
Points for attention in judgment: in the judgment of basic standards, it is necessary to first confirm that it is canned products, especially GB 2760；; Pickled canned edible mushrooms, such as EDTA, are allowed to be used in pickled edible mushrooms, and the principle of bringing in the final product is judged; Pay attention to the new supplementary notice of GB 2760, such as stevioside, which can be used in canned miscellaneous grains and canned fruits; Also pay attention to distinguish between canned fruits and decorative fruits and vegetables. Although it may be canned products, the products are marked as decorative fruits and vegetables. Pay attention to the different regulations on the use of lemon yellow.
Legal basis:
Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (202 1 Amendment).
Article 2 Whoever engages in the following activities within the People's Republic of China shall abide by this Law: (1) Food production and processing (hereinafter referred to as food production), food sales and catering services (hereinafter referred to as food business);
(2) Production and operation of food additives;
(3) Production and operation of packaging materials, containers, detergents and disinfectants used for food and tools and equipment used for food production and operation (hereinafter referred to as food-related products);
(four) the use of food additives and food-related products by food producers and operators;
(5) Storage and transportation of food;
(6) Safety management of food, food additives and food-related products.
The quality and safety management of edible agricultural primary products (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 marketing 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 abide by the provisions of this law.