Effectiveness of hazard control through HACCP critical control points in the wet noodle production process on product quality

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a food safety management system method developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) which is recognized by the international food safety community as a guideline for controlling food safety hazards. The HACCP system establishes a control system that focuses more on prevention than on testing the final product, so the effectiveness of its implementation cannot be precisely determined. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of HACCP on product quality in meeting food quality and safety parameters according to the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) 2987:2015 (wet noodles). The study was conducted on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) producing wet noodles in Central Java (Indonesia). The analytical method used in this study is to compare the results of the initial product testing before the research intervention and the final product after the research intervention to determine the effectiveness of HACCP’s critical control point (CCP) on product quality. The final product test results from the HACCP control intervention were able to correct the initial product discrepancy before the intervention, namely the quality parameters of ash content and total plate count contamination. However, there is one parameter that is out of the SNI quality limit for wet noodles, namely Staphylococcus aureus microbial contamination. This can be controlled by adding a water content critical limit in the CCP of the packaging process. The test results show that the control of hazards and risks through HACCP does not necessarily guarantee that product quality can fulfill food quality and safety requirements. Evaluation of CCP through the verification stage and final product testing must be carried out simultaneously until a product fulfill the quality and safety parameters on standards or regulation.