Improvement of the safety of the red pepper spice with FMEA and post processing EWMA quality control charts

Abstract

Although there are numerous decades-old studies drawing attention to the presence of aflatoxins in spices, and particularly in red pepper spice, the problem has not been eradicated. In the present study, information presented in the literature, about production method of red pepper spice, its contamination with aflatoxin, and the uncertainty about the data are assessed to find out the points where improvement may be achieved. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) are performed to assess the risk. The highest total risk attributable to chemical plus physical plus biological causes is associated with the washing stage (RPN = 363), which is followed by the receiving (RPN = 342) and the storage (RPN = 342) stages. The highest risk attributable to biological causes (RPN = 180) is associated with microbial growth and aflatoxin production due to insufficient control of drying conditions. The highest chemical risk (RPN = 144) is found for the presence of unintentional food additives, such as pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and heavy metals in fresh red pepper fruits. EWMA (exponentially weighted average)

Modeling sorption phenomena and moisture migration rates in paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) using physicochemical characteristics

“…Therefore, the paprika produced under unhygienic conditions becomes contaminated with dust, insects, animal waste, pathogenic microorganisms, and filth (FDA 2013). Production of paprika from the naturally dried red pepper is most likely to be contaminated with aflatoxins due to the unsatisfactory drying process (Ozilgen et al 2013). The storage of paprika at high temperature and humid condition also results in microbial growth, and such storage condition is favorable for aflatoxin contamination (Sudha et al 2013).…”

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) for confectionery manufacturing in developing countries: Turkish delight production as a case study

“…Increased chlorine concentration in water primarily decreases the sensorial quality of water and the quality of the products if water is used in their processes. Although no adverse toxicological effects of increased chlorine concentration were observed in studies conducted with males, dermatitis, bladder cancer, increased serum cholesterol and low lipoprotein were based on the results of risk assessment to reduce or eliminate the potential failures from the system (SCIPIONI et al, 2002;VARZAKAS 2007aVARZAKAS , b, 2008SZOVATI;BIACS;KISS, 2008;OZILGEN et al, 2011).…”

Application of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis to reduce errors in medication administration in pediatric intensive care units: A quality improvement report

“…Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) is a systematic, prospective and analytical tool that helps detection and understanding of factors causing failure in a process, system or a method [12], and it can be utilized as an active tool to improve patient safety and productivity in hospitals [13,14]. The best outcome of combination of this method with brainstorming technique to determine potential failure modes and affects is determination of vulnerable and critical elements in the system [15]. Brainstorming combines a relaxed, informal approach to problem solving with lateral thinking.…”