Better Process Control School offered by UT Posted: Tuesday, September 20, 2011 8:03 pm
Food scientists with the University of Tennessee College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and UT Extension will conduct a Better Process Control School Oct. 4-7 at the UT Conference Center, 600 Henley St. in Knoxville.
The four-day certification course, offered through UT’s Food Science and Technology Department, fulfills requirements of and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the USDA Good Manufacturing Practice requirements to certify supervisors of retort operations, acidification, and container closure evaluation operations during the canning of low-acid and acidified foods.
Companies or individuals who manufacture low-acid canned or acidified foods for sale must operate with a certified supervisor on the premises when processing, according to FDA and USDA regulations.
Low-acid canned foods are any shelf-stable food product with a pH greater than 4.6 (e.g., vegetables, meats, fish). Acidified foods are any shelf-stable product that includes a food-grade acidulant (e.g., vinegar) to lower the equilibrium pH to less than 4.6. Examples are pickled vegetables (e.g., corn relish, beets, green beans, etc.), chow-chow, quick cucumber pickles, pickled meats and pickled eggs. Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, are not acidified foods. Acidified foods also do not include any product that is intended to be refrigerated or frozen.
Preregistration with a nonrefundable course fee is mandatory. The cost for the four-day Better Process Control School is $500. Registration for the first two days, which focus on acidified foods only, is $250.
For more information, call Nancy Austin at (865) 974-7717. Published in The Messenger 9.20.11 , , | 
