Microbiological Quality of Ice Cream after HACCP Implementation: a Factory Case Study

The microbiological quality of the final product and the safety of the production procedures were screened in an ice cream factory, after implementation of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system. We analysed 30 vanilla (IC1), 30 strawberry (IC2), and 30 chocolate flavoured (IC3) samples of ice cream; 30 of water; 90 of personnel's hands flora; 150 of plastic ice cream containers flora; 50 of sanitised equipment-surfaces flora. After HACCP introduction, Staphylococcus aureus was not further detectable in ice cream and Escherichia coli was mostly less than 10 CFU/g, while the spoilage markers (total coliforms - TC, aerobic plate counts - APC) in ice cream and the environment were reduced by 20-35%. Mean log CFU/g, for IC1: TC from 2.20 reduced to 1.57, APC from 4.58 reduced to 3.62. For IC2: TC from 2.29 reduced to 1.65, APC from 4.61 reduced to 3.49. For IC3: TC from 2.67 reduced to 1.76, APC from 5.08 reduced to 3.81.