Citation

Kurt L, Ozilgen S. Safety Sci. 2013; 55: 195-206.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2013.01.009

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The incidence of contamination of raw milk and dairy products by biological and chemical hazards is a major problem all around the world. Systematic risk control at each stage of the process is required to minimize or eliminate failures in the manufacturing process. The quantitative risk analysis method, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), was applied for the risk analysis of six dairy products that are widely consumed in Turkey. Comprehensive real data collected from 75 food safety audits carried out in 30 dairy factories between 2006 and 2011 were used to implement the method. Possible failure modes in the processes were identified and the potential risks for each failure mode were analyzed. Risk priority numbers were calculated to identify the risk level of each potential failure. Generally speaking, the highest total risk priority number was calculated for the biological failures, which were followed by the chemical failures in all processes. Physical failures were found to pose the lowest risk. Failures were commonly observed in companies that were applying obsolete technologies, using intensive human handling, and employing staff members with no previous food processing and hygiene training. It is concluded that implementing the FMEA methodology in dairy industry will decrease the possibility of failure noticeably in all the manufacturing processes studied. Results of this study can be used by the manufacturers in different parts of the world to produce safer dairy products, since almost all dairy products share common manufacturing stages.