ICE CREAM HYGIENE AND SAFETY

Microbiological product safety in ice cream production depends on the quality of the raw materials, the packaging, and the conditions of the production process as well as the hygiene of the location, the personnel, and the environment. The safety of the ice cream is maintained by totally ensuring hygienic conditions at every stage from production to consumption. Packaged ice cream produced in a hygienic environment is much healthier and is of much higher quality than ice cream sold without packaging. It is easy to taste the different that quality ice cream makes. A good ice cream melts in your mouth softly and lightly. The safety of ice creams produced and maintained in healthy conditions and sold in healthy packaging is certified; it can be bought and consumed without hesitation.

SERVICE HYGIENE

In terms of service hygiene, the staff that serve ice cream should be aware of and should apply the rules of hygiene. Therefore, the recruited staff should have training on hygiene before they begin working. Recruited staff should meet specific health conditions and should have a medical examination that includes a nose and throat culture, a lung x-ray, HBS and anti-HBS (Hepatitis B), blood, urine, and fecal tests to check for infectious diseases. These tests and examinations should be regularly repeated before and after recruitment. Any staff who has or who is suspected of having health problems such as sneezing, coughing, skin infections, vomiting, diarrhea, an infected wound or scratch, and so on, should be prevented from working in production or service areas.

Clothes are a significant contamination source and therefore, in order to avoid such risks, all staff should be provided with clean and proper clothes, hats/bonnets, gloves, masks, and shoes depending on their tasks, and appropriate changing areas should be created.

In addition to the staff, the environmental conditions, machinery, and the way the materials are used also impact ice cream hygiene. The user manual should be carefully read and followed for the storage and preparation of mixtures. Using mixtures with temperatures over 7 °C should be avoided as much as possible, or should be pasteurized before use.

EQUIPMENT and LOCATION HYGIENE

It is of the utmost importance that any ice cream products that carry microbiological risks have the required infrastructure, hygienic conditions, and supervision throughout the processes of production, storage, shipment, presentation, and sales. Ice cream has the highest microbiological risk during the serving process. Ice cream scoops should not be kept in the same bowl of water throughout the day, as this is an invitation for diseases. The water should be changed and the bowl should be washed frequently. Additionally, scoops that are used directly after taking out of the water create ice crystals on the ice cream. Therefore, scoops should be quickly shaken out in the air to drain them before use.

Ice cream should definitely be stored in deep freezer cabinets. The lids of the cabinets should be closed at all times and special attention should be given to the cleanliness of the cabinets.