Quality Management System for a New Functional Fermented Dairy Product

The article introduces a quality and safety management system for a new functional fermented dairy product. The system relied on the formulation, technology, and potential production hazards. The authors used the decision tree method to define the critical control points of the technological process at the stages of raw material acceptance, mixing, pasteurization, and bottling. The experiment was conducted on the premises of the Pyatigorsk Dairy Plant (OOO Pyatigorskiy Molochniy Kombinat, Pyatigorsk). The local food safety management system provided a number of systematic measures, which made it possible to transfer the stages of mixing and storage from the class of critical categories to the class of control categories. The stages of raw milk acceptance and pasteurization remained the only critical points. Each critical point presupposed a number of corrective measures in case of violation. The new quality and safety management system ensured 21 days of shelf-life with a high-level microbiological safety that met the standards established by the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union. The lactic acid bacterial count did not fall below 1 × 107 CFU/cm3 while the probiotic count was 1 × 106 CFU/cm3. Based on the expert opinion, the new functional fermented dairy product received a Certificate of State Registration from the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Well-Being.