Abstract
The cause of food decomposition is investigated in three cases, and the possibility of its recurrence is studied. The first case involves yellow discoloration of frozen “Mongou Cuttlefish” from Thailand.
It was caused by the multiplication of Pseudomonas sp. Lack of proper sanitation in the fishing boat and the inadequate control of temperature between storage and processing caused the proliferation of the bacterium in question and the subsequent yellowish discoloration.
The second case involves coagulation of non-dairy coffee cream. It was believed that the cause of the coagulation was Flavobacterium sp. or a closely related bacterium. The contamination by this bacterium was caused by the inadeauate maintenance of a filling machine.
The third case, involving brownish discoloration of sliced and packed “Mochi” by heating, was caused by Enterobacteriaceae. It was presumed that a structural defect of the factory facility allowed the introduction of the causal bacteria into the factory, and the product became contaminated.
The characteristic common to these three cases was insufficient measures of bacterial prevention. Therefore, adequate prevention is necessary before introducing management using the HACCP paradigm.
