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HIGH-RISK FOOD │HOC 3105│
│LECTURE 4│
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Lesson Intended Learning Outcome
On completion of this lecture, you should
be able to:
1. Define high-risk food
2. Explain the principal requirements for
the reproduction of bacteria
3. List the ways to handle high-risk food
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High risk food
Raw food that can be eaten straight
away without extra preparation
(cooking)
Or have been cooked at an earlier
stage so that they can be eaten cold
or reheated just before consumption
Moist and full of protein, most often
high-risk foods come from animals
and plants
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High risk food
Bacteria will
Multiply
quickly when the food
spends enough time in a warm
environment
Time and temperature control
is a major step in preventing
food poisoning
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Typical High-risk Foods
Cooked/Smoked/Cured meat, poultry, fish and seafood
e.g. smoked salmon, cold cooked chicken and prawns
Cooked meat products containing gravy or sauces e.g.
steak pie, lasagna
Eggs, and uncooked and lightly-cooked dishes made
with it – mayonnaise, hollandaise, mousse
Shellfish and seafood – oyster, crab, lobster
Cold cooked rice
Dairy-based product e.g. cream cake
Prepared salad
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Handling High-risk Foods
Avoid touching the food by hand
Use utensils
Keep raw and high-risk food apart
Raw food is major source of bacteria
Cover the food during storage
Keep the food outside the danger zone
temperatures whenever possible during
preparation, service or sale
63℃ ℃
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60
The basic rules for handling 50
high-risk food are to:
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Prevent cross-contamination
30
Keep high-risk food out of the danger
zone whenever possible 20
Keep cold food really cold, ideally at 10
4°C or cooler (HK food law 4°C or 5℃
cooler) 0
Keep hot food really hot, at 64°C or
10
hotter (HK food law 60°C or hotter)
20
℃
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Ideal Conditions for
Bacteria Multiplication
The four main requirements for
bacterial growth are:
Food
Moisture
Warmth
Time
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Ideal Conditions for
Bacteria Multiplication
1. Food
Like all living things, bacteria
need nutrients
Most prefer food that is both
moist and high in protein
Even if they are cooked
thoroughly and served cold
later
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2. Moisture
Food poisoning bacteria need moisture to
stay alive
Bacteria cannot multiply in dried foods
as soon as liquid is added to foods, the
reconstituted products provide idea
conditions for bacteria to growth.
High quantity of salt or sugar absorb
available moisture in food so that bacteria
cannot multiply easily, such as bacon,
jam
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3. Warmth / Temperature
Most food poisoning bacteria multiply at between
5°C and 63°C,
The range of temperatures is called Danger Zone
Ambient temperature (room temperature) are
general within the danger zone
The ideal temperature for bacteria to growth is 37°C
Most bacterial multiplication slows down or stops at
4°C or below
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3. Warmth / Temperature
Freezing makes most bacteria dormant (inactive)
but not kill them
When the frozen food is thawed, any surviving
bacteria can start multiply at danger zone
temperatures
Cooking at high temperatures kills most bacteria,
provided that the food is cooked for long enough
As a guide, food needs at least two minutes at 70°C
right through to the centre or the thickest part of the
product
Some types of bacteria can survive by forming
spores
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4. Time
Bacterianeed time in the right
conditions to be able to multiply
Multiply
by dividing into two in
about 10 - 20 minutes
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Other Factors Affecting
Bacteria Growth
Level of acidity can affect
multiplication, e.g. vinegar has
traditionally been used to preserve
food by pickling
The absence or lack of oxygen also
affects multiplication
Aerobes - need oxygen to multiply
Anaerobes – thrive without oxygen
(unrefrigerated vacuum-packed food)
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Ways of Killing Bacteria
To cook food in a pressure cooker for
20 minutes at 121°C will kill spores.
(Canning)
To heat food to temperatures above
75°C on the inside. This will kill bacteria
in 2 minutes. (Re-heating food)
To boil food at 100°C for 30
minutes. This will destroy toxin. (Natural
toxic constituents in food – red Kidney Beans)
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Revision
1. Under what 4 favourable
circumstances do bacteria multiply.
2. Name three high-risk foods.
3. Discuss four handling methods for
high-risk foods.
4. Suggest the ways for killing bacteria.
Reference 17
Self-study
Reference Book - Food safety, The good practice guide. (2012). London,
England: Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
Website –
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department:
[Link]
Relevant articles -
Food Surveillance Programme
[Link]
_fs.html
Further study material
煮食安全天與地(廣東話版本) 第一集︰食物中的危害與風險
[Link]
Microbiological Guidelines for Food
[Link]
Guidelines_for_Food_c.pdf
Next Lesson
Time and Temperature
Control
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