Fish Products and Byproducts Technology

Unit 13 - Diversified fish products/ value addition

13.4.3. Monitoring and checking system
There must be a mechanism to monitor, check and measure to ensure that processing procedures at each CCP are under control. The monitoring must be able to detect any deviation from these specifications. It should be rapid enough so that corrective action can be taken in time and loss of the product is avoided or minimised. The main methods to monitor a CCP are

• Visual observation
• Sensory evaluation
• Physical measurement
• Chemical testing
• Microbiological analysis

Visual observation is basic, but gives rapid results. Sensory evaluation can be used to check the quality of incoming raw materials. Rapid chemical tests e.g. chlorine in water, are useful to monitor CCPs. Other measurements possible are time, temperature, pH and salt concentration. Microbiological test is of limited use in monitoring CCP. It can, however, be employed for testing before starting processing, and for testing finished products before release.