Chapter: Operations and Documentation
Section: Process Controls
Sub-section: F.B.14.5 Drying

Elements

The regulatory requirements contained in this guideline will be met when:

F.B.14.5 (01) Drying methods and parameters are suitable for the type of fish product to control or mitigate microbial growth, or other contamination. (Risk Ranking: High)

Rationale

Microorganisms require water to survive and grow. Water activity is the amount of water in a food that is available for the growth of microorganisms, including pathogenic bacteria. Drying is a process that slows microbial growth by reducing the water activity of fish products.

Drying alone does not destroy microorganisms or their toxins. However, drying is used to control growth of pathogens and toxin formation by Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus that may be present in the fish product. Salting may be used before drying to aid in reducing the water activity (Refer to FPG Process Controls – Salting).

There are a variety of fish products that may be dried including whole fish or parts of fish (e.g. salmon jerky, smoked whole fish or parts of fish). Although some dried fish products may be ready-to-eat (RTE), others are not, such as salted dry cod or dried stockfish.

Fish products that are dried but do not receive a heat lethality treatment may not achieve the lethality necessary to produce a safe, RTE fish product. To achieve a RTE product, fish products may be subjected to other processes such as smoking (Refer to FPG Process Controls – Smoking) or cooking (Refer to FPG Process Controls – Cooking or Pasteurizing), before or during the drying process.

Rapid drying results in formation of a crust, which prevents interior drying and promotes interior bacterial growth and spoilage due to trapped moisture within the fish product.

The rate of drying depends on factors such as:

  • temperature,
  • drying time,
  • humidity,
  • rate of air movement.

The process control procedures for dried fish products should contain the following technical process information:

  • the time and temperature used in the drying process,
  • the water activity reached at the end of the drying process,
  • the relative humidity of the drying chamber/room,
  • the rate of air movement,
  • in addition, refer to FPG Process Controls – General.

Best practices include:

  • uniform size, shape and thickness of pieces to be dried,
  • uniform movement of the air throughout the drying room,
  • using packaging for dried fish products that would prevent rehydration.

If the drying process results in a water activity of 0.85 or lower, the product is considered a shelf-stable fish product and could be stored and distributed unrefrigerated.

Note: If dried fish products are to be packed in oil, the fish and all other ingredients must be shelf-stable (with a water activity ≤ 0.85) before packing in oil.

Refer to FPG Process Controls – Final Product Controls for refrigerated RTE fish products that have been dried and have not been subjected to a heat lethality treatment. These controls are for pathogen control, including Clostridium botulinum and Listeria monocytogenes.

Regulatory References

Food Safety and Quality Act, 2001; O. Reg. 465/19 s. 25 (3), 43, 51, 52, 53 (3), 55 (1), 56

    1. Equipment used at a fish processing plant to cook, heat, treat, refrigerate or freeze a fish product must be designed and maintained so that it is effective in achieving any standards or temperatures that are required by this Regulation.
    1. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that fish products and ingredients are kept at a temperature and humidity that keeps them safe during processing, packaging, labelling, storing and handling.
    2. The operator shall ensure that the temperature of every refrigerator used for the cooling or storage of fish products is maintained at 4 degrees Celsius or lower.
    3. The operator shall ensure that the temperature of every freezer used for the freezing or storage of fish products is maintained at a temperature that will keep the products frozen.
    4. The operator shall ensure that the temperature and humidity of every room in the fish processing plant used by the operation where fish products are received, processed, packaged, labelled, shipped, stored or handled are controlled to prevent the contamination of fish products, ingredients, labelling materials and packaging materials.
    1. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that written process control procedures are developed, implemented and monitored to effectively identify any risk of contamination of fish products, ingredients, labelling materials and packaging materials and to prevent, eliminate or minimize any identified risk.
    2. The operator shall ensure that at the time the process control procedures referred to in subsection (1) are performed and monitored, a record is created that includes,
      1. the date the procedure was performed and monitored;
      2. the results of the monitoring, including any deviations from the process control procedures; and
      3. the actions taken in response to any deviations from the process control procedures, including disposing of the fish product or taking measures to produce a safe fish product.
    3. The operator shall ensure that the process control procedures referred to in subsection (1),
      1. are reviewed as needed in order to,
        1. evaluate whether the procedures are being properly implemented, and
        2. verify the effectiveness of the implemented procedures with respect to producing a safe fish product; and
      2. are updated as needed.
    4. The operator shall ensure that at the time a review referred to in clause (3) (a) is undertaken, a record is created that includes,
      1. the date the review was performed; and
      2. the results of the review.
    5. The operator shall ensure that every record created under this section,
      1. is kept for at least one year from the date the record is created; and
      2. is readily accessible.
  2. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that any regulatable activities engaged in by the operation are performed in a manner that minimizes the risk of contamination of fish products, ingredients, labelling materials and packaging materials and produces fish products that are safe.
    1. The operator shall ensure that each fish product referred to in subsection (1) is prepared in accordance with its corresponding recipe.
    1. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that fish products, ingredients, labelling materials and packaging materials involved in any regulatable activities engaged in by the operation are,
      1. stored and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of contamination;
      2. stored at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius or less, if they must be refrigerated; and
      3. are kept frozen, if they must be frozen.
  2. The operator of a fish processing operation in respect of which a licence is required under this Regulation shall ensure that every fish product processed, labelled or packaged by the operation is,
    1. processed, packaged, labelled or stored in accordance with this Regulation; and
    2. safe.