Spoilage Organisms
What are spoilage organisms?
Moulds are the spoilage organisms causing dried chillies to be undesirable due to off-colours and softening and yeast can form a harmless but unsightly layer on the top of mashes.
What causes spoilage organism?
Moulds form when fresh chillies are damaged but excessive moisture is the biggest risk factor and can occur during husbandry, after an ineffective drying process, high storage humidity and water ingress through packaging.
In the case of mashes, Kahm yeast layers can form from yeasts naturally occur in the environment.
How are spoilage organisms controlled?
- Chillies are harvested by hand and care is taken to prevent damage and chillies showing signs of mould growth are discarded.
- The drying process must be effective, reducing moisture to ‘safe’ levels.
- The storage environment must be low humidity.
- Packaging must be robust enough to prevent damage and water ingress.
- The formation of Kahm yeast can be controlled with good hygiene practices.
How does the Chilli Doctor Technical Team Manage Spoilage Organisms?
- By approving suppliers who have effective controls in place to prevent mould or yeast growth as appropriate.
- Undertaking intake checks ensure that there is no evidence of mould growth, damage to packaging or water ingress during transport.