Course Overview - Yola

Course OverviewThe subject covers the principles and practices of harvestingherbs, and procedures to preserve both the physical andchemical quality during handling and primary processing.These include operating and maintenance of precisionequipments; identify adulterated, damage and pest infectedfresh and processed products; familiar with standard, costeffective production and market requirements.

NOR LIYANA JAAFAR - PRIMARY PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY 2016

Outcomes

After completing the course, students should be able to:

1. Apply principle and practices of packinghouse operations.

2. Show the ability to perform the principle process of primary processing.

3. Explain the local and international specifications, standard, regulation and other requirements on the production of raw materials of international repute.

4. Explain the manufacturing characteristics and requirements of raw ingredients required for production of various types of formulated products from local herbs.


UNIT 1PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN MINIMAL

PROCESSING FOR PRESERVATION OF FRESH AND DRIED PRODUCE

Topic outcomesAfter completing the topic, students should be able to:

1) Operate and conduct equipments required to automate all packinghouse operations for production of raw products.

2) Produce raw product of any formulation and specification for manufacturers of formulated products.

3) Explain local and international specifications, standard, regulation and other requirements on the production of raw materials of international repute.

4) Explain manufacturing characteristics and requirements of raw ingredients required for production of various types of formulated products from local herbs.


Primary processing pipeline

Receiving

Inspection

Washing

Drying

Comminution (Size reduction)

Packaging

Storing



Example of Raw Materials

TEA TREE

PANDAN CITRONELLA

EUCALYPTUS

CINNAMONKESUM

CURRY

TONGKAT ALI


Receiving

Date/Time – When it arrived?Supplier – Who is it from? Are they on the approved supplier list?Coding – Batch no or any traceability informationBy – Record who did these activities

Upon receiving purchased material or even services from a supplier, it is important that the shipment is checked to make sure that the correct quantity and quality was received. A receiving report should immediately be completed which indicates:


BOTANICAL NAME: COMMON NAME:

Date received: Date of inspection:

GRIS No.: Packing resealed after inspection: YES / NO

PASS sticker affixed: YES / NO Date of PASS sticker affixed:

REJECT sticker affixed: YES / NO Date of REJECT sticker affixed:

N

o

.

Test Specification Actual Reading Result

1 Appearance PASS/FAIL

2 Part of Plant PASS/FAIL

3 Foreign matter PASS/FAIL

4 Fungal PASS/FAIL

5 Physical damage PASS/FAIL

6 Weight PASS/FAIL

Physical Check!

Inspection


Appearance and presence of contaminantsA sample of the incoming raw material should be spread on a sheet of clean paper and

carefully examined for signs of infestation, moulds, foreign matter, rodent hairs, broken seeds etc. In some cases, placing a small sample in water may reveal spices which have been internally attacked by insects as they will tend to float.

Odour and flavourSmall and medium scale producers are not able to chemically analyse the flavour-bearing

essential oils in the product. With experience however, abnormalities may be detected bytasting. In the case of a unit processing dried herbs and spices, a similar examination system tothat used for fresh crops is required, together with a determination of moisture content.

Moisture contentThe moisture content of dried herbs and spices is very important and if it is too high moulds

and yeasts will be able to grow. The moisture content may be checked using analyser and an oven.

Washing


Washing most commonly takes place when fresh herbs are delivered to the processingunit.In the case of herbs it is most important to wash them as soon as they arrive in orderto remove 'field heat' and thus slow down the growth of micro-organisms using aclean water.

…Washing


Washing may be achieved at a small scale in large shallow tanks that allow operatorsto move the produce freely through the water. If concrete tanks are used they shouldideally be tiled. Soil and other foreign matter is washed off the raw materials andfrequent changes of water are therefore needed. A better method is to continuouslycirculate water through a filter. Ideally several tanks should be used, the first forremoval of heavy soiling and subsequent cleaner tanks for final washing.

rapid washing and redrying offers the greatest potential to improve quality. Mostcontamination by micro-organisms and soils is surface contamination. Washing orspraying for a minute with chlorinated water removes most soils and reduces microbiallevels. Quick washing only wets the surface and a short re-drying period is all that isrequired to reduce the moisture to the required level.


Traditional vs modern washing at packinghouse

Drying


The type of dryer that is used and the way in which it is operated may have a significant influence on the quality of the finished product in the following ways:

i) Contamination by dust and dirt.There is obviously a high risk of contamination occurring if the raw materials are laid out in the sun. Solar and powered dryers protect against contamination and are thus strongly recommended. It should be noted that fan driven dryers may suck in fine dust particles in dusty areas. In very dusty areas, powered dryers may need a muslin filter over the air inlet.

ii) Drying time and temperature.During the early stages of drying, conditions in the dryer (high humidity and moderate

temperature) are ideal for the growth of micro-organisms. The quicker the drying time the better the final microbial quality of the product. Drying rates may be increased in two ways: by increasing the air flow and by increasing the air temperature. However temperatures should not be too high as they cause damage to the product.

…Drying


In the case of natural open air drying, the raw material must be spread out in a thin layer. In order tosecure adequate air circulation, the drying frames must be located at a sufficient distance from theground. Drying directly on the ground or under direct exposure to the sunlight should be avoidedunless specifically required.

Except in the case of open air drying, the drying conditions such as temperature, duration, aircirculation etc must be selected taking into consideration the medicinal plant part such as root, leafor flower and the nature of its active constituent, such as essential oils.

Comminution


Raw materials often occur in sizes that are too large to be used and, therefore, they must be reduced in size.

There are various types of comminution process. Each process must suits with the raw material and desired end product.

Grinding and cutting reduce the size of solid materials by mechanical action, dividing them intosmaller particles. Perhaps the most extensive application of grinding in the food industry is in themilling of grains to make flour, but it is used in many other processes, such as in the grinding of cornfor manufacture of corn starch, the grinding of sugar and the milling of dried foods, such asvegetables.

Cutting is used to break down large pieces of food into smaller pieces suitable for further processing,such as in the preparation of meat for retail sales and in the preparation of processed meats andprocessed vegetables.

Packaging & Labelling


-Early packaging (risk from pest attack)-Packing material: clean, dry, new sacks only, clear & fixed-label-Reuse packing materials –properly clean, sanitize, dried

Packaging Container


Storing


After drying, the material should be packed quickly into cleanheavy-gauge plastic sacks to avoid any moisture pick-up. Workersshould not directly handle the material, but use scoops or cleangloves. Sacks should be labelled and dated and samples should betaken for moisture testing. It is a good idea to retain samples inairtight bottles for future reference.

Dried products must also be stored under proper conditions, off the floor on wooden pallets and away from walls so that the store-room may be kept clean. Herbs may lose their bright colour if exposed to sunlight and over-wrapping with black plastic sheets is recommended. The store should be regularly inspected and cleaned and stock should be used in rotation (FIFO).

General layout of herbal processing facilities


Equipments – technology, skill, method

Standard – SOP, regulation

Consistency – raw material quality

Knowledge - method

Cost – cost effective


KEY DRIVEN in product processing

Constraint & value adding at each stage of processing


In many cases smallholders are the poorest farmers so their level of education may be low. As a result they may resist changes if not properly informed.

A reluctance by the grower to reject any substandard material because of its high value. This may result in a grower blending a little poor quality material with good quality crop.

It is difficult to monitor and control growers who might be tempted to use non-permitted pesticides and herbicides. In addition small scale growers often use fresh animal manure as a fertilizer which may cause heavy contamination with micro-organisms which cause food poisoning.

As material may come from many small scale producers a high level of raw material inspectionis needed, which has a higher cost.Farm dried spices and herbs are commonly subject to infestation by insects and rodents due to the poor conditions under which they are stored.

Cont…In the case of spice crops preliminary processing such as washing anddrying is carried out by the grower or agent. In many cases the quality ofthe water used is poor and washing may do more harm than good.

Traditional drying methods in which the product is spread out in the sun,hopefully on a mat, are a source of contamination by foreign matter. Theauthors have on many occasions seen dogs and cats asleep on a nice warmbed of spice!

In many countries harvest times tend to coincide with rainy weather.Drying may then take several days with occasional wetting by rain if theproducer is not quick to cover the crop. This slow drying encourages thegrowth of micro-organisms.

Solution (source – purchase)

Forming good relationships with a group of trusted suppliers.

Having one person responsible for purchasing.

Assisting and controlling farm inputs.

Providing phased payment contracts with mutually agreed terms.

Arranging training and funding occasional investigations.

Carrying out regular visits to growers to make sure bad practices are not occurring.

Arranging collection of harvested material. The shorter the time between harvest and processing the better the product quality.

When buying from larger producers or agents, samples should be taken and tested prior to purchase. Also inspection of suppliers' stores may indicate if they are clean and have any signs of insect or rodent infestation.

Process Flow Design & Equipment


List 12 popular herbs, provide the process flow fromreceival at packinghouse to production of final rawproduct. Identify appropriate equipments forautomation.

Example of semi production line (costs & product line)


Task :For each of the primary process step and finish product, list the activity and constraint to production. Calculate cost of production, equipment involved and calculate the return of investment for the production of the herbs.

Documents

Course Overview - Yola