Challenges and Opportunities of the Implementation of ISO22000 in Halawa Tahnia Sudanese Factories

Abstract

the objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of the implementation of food safety management system (FSMS) in Sudanese Halawa Tahnia factories based on ISO 22000 principles. The study consisted of two integral parts, namely, ISO 22000 principle and chemical and microbiological properties of Halawa Tahnia (H.Tah) produced in a Sudanese factory from sesame seeds. To collect data about the status and degree of application of food safety factors, 22 Halawa Tahnia factories were surveyed. Data of the field surveys were collected by means of interview, structured questionnaire, direct observation and personal contact. For the chemical and microbiological data collection, three factories (A, B and C) were randomly selected from the 22 H.Tah. factories surveyed. Chemical parameters determined were chemical composition, peroxide value and total acidity. Microbiological enumeration included total viable count (TVC), total coliforms (T.Coli), fecal coliform (F.coli), Escherichia coli (E.coli), Staphylococus aureus (S .aureus) , salmonella spp., molds and yeast. All the chemical parameters and microbial safety indicators tested were significantly (P ) higher in raw seed than in H.Tah. The chemical composition of the latter from the three factories (A, B and C) was composed mainly of oil and protein. Halawa tahnia contained on the average 45% and 25% oil and proteins respectively. Peroxide and total acidity value varied significantly (P ) between the factories ranging from 6.41 to 9.34 meq/kg and 0.75 to 1.68%, respectively. Irrespective of factory, processing of raw seeds into H.Tah resulted in substantial reduction (P ) in TVC, T.coli, and E.coli, however, it did not completely eliminated coliform, S aureus, molds and yeast. Salmonella was not isolated from any of the raw seeds or H.Tah from any of the examined factories. Full application of the plant environment, raw materials and hygienic requirements, for need of the FSMS, among Sudanese H.Tah was in the range of 13% - 77.3%. Application of HACCP requirements to fit FSMS among Sudanese H.Tah factories was in the range of 9.1% - 40.9%. High percentage 68.9% of the Sudanese H.Tah factories had their own system to control the plant documents and records. However, very few (4.1%) factories formulated frequent and intensive training programs for their human resources. Furthermore, the design of most of H.Tah factories in Sudan was old and traditional and does not fit with FSMS requirements. Also, one of the biggest challenges that face H.Tah factories are that the safety of produced H.Tah needs further special attention. On the other hand, many opportunities are available concerning the application of FSMS, among H.Tah factories where there was a drastic change in mode of thinking towards the recent concepts concerning quality management among most of the top managers and senior staff of H.Tah factories.