Buttery et al. (1976); Swanson and Hernandez (1984); Chambers IV et al. (1998); Iamanaka et al. (2014); Slabizki et al. (2016).
BEAN HANDLING AND FOOD SAFETY
Consumer awareness and heightened interest in product safety concerns have been noted in the United States and throughout global markets. In an increasingly consolidated agribusiness and food processing industry, it is essential to provide secure and defined food ingredients from point of origin through final consumer product use. Food safety has become a major customer/consumer concern within the commercial market (Aber et al. 2018).
During the handling of packaged beans in the processing facility, packaging material fragments may potentially contaminate the product. Various opening procedures and seaming techniques have been utilized to reduce this potential contamination. Research has demonstrated that polypropylene fragments do not undergo any significant leaching or physical restructuring to pose significant health hazards to consumers (Bolles et al. 1982). Bags are brightly colored, typically to facilitate easy detection and removal prior to final filling and processing. It is essential that the retail and bulk packaged beans are maintained in a clean and segregated manner to ensure wholesome food container shipment. Under these conditions, it is recognized that segregated bags designated “edible beans only” will provide valuable recycle potential within good manufacturing practice guidelines. Totes must be maintained to secure integrity among commercial classes of beans to avoid cross contamination of mixed colors and sizes (Uebersax and Siddiq 2012). To minimize these potential quality concerns, color‐coding of totes to designate commercial classes (e.g., navy, black, and others) is a recommended practice.
Mold growth and production of toxins, e.g., aflatoxin and mycotoxins, have been reported in dry beans (Beuchat and Lechowich 1970; Mislivec et al. 1975; Lutfullah and Hussain 2012; Santos and Furlong 2021). Generally, fungal toxins are not a major food safety issue if dry beans are stored at appropriate temperatures and humidity levels. However, Santos and Furlong (2021) reported that the incidence of biological contaminants in dry beans and other pulses presents a potential food safety challenge since these contaminants can affect quality at different points in the production and marketing chain. Their presence can have severe impact on consumers’ health, either by a direct toxic effect or by effecting nutritional deficiencies due to toxicity. Therefore, such food safety risks should be carefully estimated, and appropriate steps should be taken to eliminate or minimize such risks during storage and handling of dry beans.
The federal standards for handling of food grade materials mandate segregation and security of product ingredients. It is particularly important to maintain strict segregation of beans from known food allergens (especially soybean, wheat, peanuts, and other nuts). The FDA requires mandatory labeling of foods containing allergen (FDA 2004). Shipment of foods that are inadequately labeled is the primary reason for product recalls. Thus, cross‐contamination of beans with any allergens is a major issue under the FDA guidelines and warrants strict controls.
Additional guidelines are outlined through good manufacturing practices (GMPs) for food products, the ISO 9000 standards and HACCP guidelines (Aber et al. 2018). It is essential that food grade materials be maintained in secure and identifiable lots so that they may be tracked from point of origin through use. Further, it is of maximum benefit to ensure reduction of cross‐contamination points when using these bulk container totes. Lot identification on the point of shipping package (identifying placard) and a scannable bar code provide significant opportunities for product procurement control procedures.
SUMMARY
Harvesting of dry beans at appropriate maturity and uniform moisture content is imperative for the overall quality raw and processed dry beans. Similarly, the postharvest handling and storage of dry beans is an important aspect in providing high‐quality processed bean products. It must be emphasized that dry beans require careful handling and monitoring to ensure stability throughout their postharvest lifespan. Thus, it is important to move dry beans from field production to the final processing facilities in a controlled and sequential manner throughout the value chain. The handling, storage, and transportation of beans to end users require receiving, cleaning, and separation and continuous control of bean storage conditions. Bean facilities equipped with controlled aeration and drying capabilities are needed to assure quality stability. Postharvest storage quality changes are influenced by environmental factors such as bean moisture content, storage temperature and storage time. A careful and strict monitoring of beans is essential assure satisfactory stability. Packaging of beans facilitates the logistical handling and may be in various intermediate forms (bulk totes or bags) and small value‐added retail consumer packages. Successful market distribution is achieved only through controlled and monitored bean handling and integrated food safety systems.
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