A Study on Microbiological Hazard Analysis according to the Steaming Process of Various Rice Cakes

To guarantee the safety of rice cake production, the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points system was applied to the production process. The purpose of this study was to analyze the microbiological hazards of the manufacture of rice cakes, and establish critical limits in the process of the manufacturing rice cakes. To control the microbiological hazards, the sterilization process was set to a critical limit. The process of manufacturing rice cakes can reduce these microbiological hazards during the steaming process. A microorganism test for each specimen was conducted three times and compared with before and after steaming processes. The finished product was conducted by microbiology experiment and the validity of the steaming process was verified. The results were determined to be capable of reducing the biological element of Critical Control Point via the steaming process. Microbiology such as aerobic plate count, coliform, Escherichia coli(E. coli), Listeria monocytogenes, Enterohemorrhagic E. coli, Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens was evaluated by the experimental method of Korean Food Standards Codex. Aerobic plate count was reduced by steaming process, and no microorganism were detected. All rice cakes in the finished product were judged to be safe for both the Escherichia coli and general bacteria. In conclusion, it suggested that a HACCP plan was necessary for management standard and systematic approach in the establishment of critical limit, problem resolution, verification method, education, and records management. Based on this study, it is intended to provide a baseline for improving quality control standards and improving hygiene levels for small manufacturers.