Operational procedure: Core drilling to sample food
On this page
- 1.0 Purpose
- 2.0 Authorities
- 3.0 Reference documents
- 4.0 Definitions
- 5.0 Acronyms
- 6.0 Operational procedure
1.0 Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspection staff when performing sample collection of frozen and hard blocks of food.
This document is intended to be used in conjunction with other guidance documents as referenced in Section 3.0.
The guidance outlined below should be used when core drilling is a more efficient sampling method to obtain a representative sample than tempering or thawing the products.
2.0 Authorities
- Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA)
- Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR)
- Food and Drugs Act (FDA)
- Food and Drug Regulations (FDR)
The inspection powers, including the authorization to take samples, by the above legislation are identified and explained in the Operational guideline – Food regulatory response guidelines.
3.0 Reference documents
- CFIA Sampling information (internal access only)
- Operational procedure – General principles of sampling
- Inspector Toolkit (RDIMS 11289973 internal access only)
4.0 Definitions
Unless specified below, definitions are located in either the:
- Integrated Agency Inspection Model (iAIM) - Glossary of Terms (Annex F)
- My CFIA Glossary of Terms
- Safe Food for Canadians Regulations: Glossary of Key Terms
5.0 Acronyms
Acronyms are spelled out the first time they are used and are consolidated in the Food business line acronyms list.
6.0 Operational procedure
Core drilling is used for sampling of large volumes of frozen foods or solid food products in pails, cartons or combo bins that cannot be readily cut with a knife and which have a uniform consistency.
Examples:
Cheese
Blocks/wheels of hard, aged cheeses that cannot be readily cut with a knife, or containers of frozen dairy products (e.g. bulk butter)
Egg
Frozen liquid processed egg products.
Fruit or Vegetable products
Frozen, processed fruit or vegetables that are uniform in composition e.g. frozen fruit puree, blocks of frozen spinach, etc.
Fish
Frozen fish products that are uniform in composition (for example: frozen surimi). Sampling by core drilling is not applicable to frozen containers of whole fish.
Meat
Large frozen containers of meat products that are uniform in composition (for example: ground meat, meat trim)
6.1 Location of sampling
Sampling of a food product can be conducted in facilities and with equipment that are of suitable design, maintenance and cleanliness to prevent contamination during the sampling procedures.
6.2 Materials and Equipment
6.2.1 List of equipment
In addition to the list of equipment found in the Inspector Toolkit (RDIMS 11289973 internal access only), this procedure requires;
- Electric Drill with the following features:
- Variable speed – minimum 1800 rpm
- minimum 12 volts
- weight - less is better, if > 1.6 kg, auxiliary handles for stability are desirable
- chuck size - minimum ½ inch to permit use of larger sized bits
- keyless chuck
- position of the air exhaust – should not vent downward onto the frozen food product
- 2 rechargeable battery
- Ice borers (or auger style of drill bits with the following features:
- Length - 20 - 40 cm
- dimension width - aggressive design, minimum 0.5 cm difference in inner/outer diameter
- materials - high quality, nickel platted or stainless steel (no coatings such as paint or black oxide which may not withstand sanitizing or sterilizing or autoclaving temperatures)
- Sampling funnel
- wide enough at funnel stem for drill auger to be inserted without contact
- polypropylene (# 5 code for recycling) or other materials capable of being autoclaved
- Sterile sampling supplies depending on equipment sanitation method to be used, such as:
- Gloves, sterile
- 70% Isopropyl Alcohol
- Distilled water
- Thermometer
- Vertical style kettle
- Chlorine solution (minimum 300 ppm)
- Sample collection bags, sterile
Image 1: Auger in autoclave bag
6.2.2 Cleaning, sanitizing and storing equipment
6.2.2.1 Auger and funnel
The auger and funnel are the only equipment in direct contact with the product and therefore must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, or autoclaved before use depending upon the purpose of sampling.
Procedure
- Remove the auger and funnel from the drill; thoroughly clean using a brush to ensure removal of food residues. Clean with warm water and detergent. Rinse well in warm water.
- For microbiological analysis, funnels and augers should be autoclaved by CFIA labs prior to use. Separate sterilized funnels and augers must be used for sample unit.
- Sampling for compositional analysis or chemistry (for example, heavy metals, antibiotic residues, pesticides) may be conducted with funnels and augers sanitized by one of the following options. Other options may be used providing they will not contaminate the sampled food with biological or chemical hazards or the sanitizer residue will not affect the analytical results.
- fully immersing the clean equipment in an approved food contact sanitizer following manufacturer's instructions followed by a distilled water rinse to remove residues that may affect sampling results.
- fully immersing the clean equipment in isopropyl alcohol (70% or higher) for 10 minutes followed by a distilled water rinse to remove alcohol residues;
- fully immersing the clean equipment in an ≥ 82 °C hot water sanitizer or vertical kettle for 15 seconds ( verify temperature) ; or
- fully immersing the clean equipment in active chlorine solution (300 ppm) for no less than 3 minutes, followed by a distilled water rinse to remove chlorine residues.
6.2.2.2 Drill and drill accessories
- Before, wipe the external surfaces of the drill and battery pack (except the contacts) several times with isopropyl alcohol, 300 ppm chlorine or other sanitizer approved for incidental food contact to remove any debris and until the surfaces are visibly clean.
- After use, use cleaning agents on augers and funnels that are suitable for the type of materials (metal augers and plastic or metal funnels) and approved for use in food processing facilities.
- Store the thoroughly clean, sanitized and dried equipment in a clean container with a tight fitting cover in a dry storage location.
6.2.3 Maintenance of equipment
Augers
Proper storage of the augers will prolong the life and sharpness. Augers should be packed in cushioning materials such as clean paper towel to protect them from contacting other auger bits or hard materials that could damage the cutting edges.
Dull drill augers will affect the texture of the sample collected and must be sent out for sharpening or replaced. It may be more economical to replace augers than sharpen them. Specialized ice borers should be sent out to sharpening services.
Funnels
Funnels must be maintained in good condition free of cracks, chips, deep scratches or rust as these defects will affect the ability to effectively sanitize the funnel.
Drills and Accessories
Inspectors must refer to the manufacturers' operating manual for maintenance of drills, batteries and charging devices.
Image 2: A storage container for clean packaged supplies and drill
6.3 Sampling
6.3.1 Selection of sample units
Refer to commodity specific sampling programs and guidance as well as the Operational procedure – General principles of sampling for procedures to select random sample units from the lot of product.
6.3.2 Starting to Drill
It is preferable for two inspectors to conduct sampling using funnels and augers. It is recommended that the inspector handling the drill conducts all procedures that do not require contact with the auger, funnel and product. The second inspector maintains aseptic hands covered in sterile gloves for handing the drill auger and the funnel and emptying the product collected in the funnel into the sterile sampling bag.
Image 3: Drilling with funnel
- Expose the area of the frozen food to be sampled by aseptically removing a portion of packaging.
- Aseptically stage the sample bag so it is ready to receive the product from the funnel.
- Aseptically open top of sterile auger bag to permit the exposed end to be inserted into the drill chuck; or aseptically insert sanitized auger into the chuck.
- The inspector handing the drill should tighten the chuck without contacting the sterile or sanitized auger.
- Aseptically remove the sterile funnel from the autoclave bag or sanitizing solution. If using a sanitizing solution, allow it to air dry. Place small end of the funnel on the exposed surface of the food. Hold the funnel in place and drill through the funnel hole into the product. Shavings of the product will deposit into the funnel.
- Aseptically transfer product collected in the funnel into a sterile sample bag.
- Label the sample bag with the sample number.
- Repeat drilling procedures for the next sample unit.
- Clean and sanitize the auger and the funnel as described in section 6.2.2 before taking another sample unit or before sampling for a different lot of product.
6.4 Prepare sample bags for shipping
Refer to the Operational procedure – General principles of sampling and the CFIA Sampling information (internal access only) page for the procedures for preparing and shipping food samples for laboratory analysis.
For general inquiries related to this Operational Guidance Document, please follow established communication channels, including submitting an electronic Request for Action Form (e-RAF).
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