O sistema APPCC no gerenciamento da segurança e da qualidade na elaboração de vinhos

Abstract

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is the most update thing related to the management of food safety and quality. Consumers, governments, health authorities, international trade and media put pressure on the agribusiness systems to make available harmless food (which cause no danger to health) according to quality criteria. The world grape and wine industry uses the HACCP on its processes management, however, this use is still new to the Brazilian grape and wine industry. The main purpose of this work has been to develop some structure to the food security and quality management in winemaking, from the HACCP system. It was done a transverse cut across the grape and wine chain from Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, and it was analyzed the industry link through an explorative and applied research. It was studied a winemaking process on exquisite red wine, in the Miolo Winery, in Bento Gonçalves (RS), during the harvest in 2003. It was created and legitimated in loco a flow sheet of the process. For each flow sheet level it was applied the HACCP’s seven principles, established by Codex Alimentarius. The hazard analysis was done under the focus on consumer’s health and produce’s quality. As a result, it was identified microbiological, physical, chemical hazards and hazards to the quality (as methanol, pesticide, oxidation) and for each hazard, it was established preventative measures which eliminate, prevent or reduce the hazards’ happenings. The microbiological hazards found are related to the damaging microrganisms and not to the pathogenic ones. It was identified five critical control points (CCPs), on the reception, alcoholic fermentation, maturation, stabilization and bottling phases. For each CCPs it was established the critical limits (as temperature, pH, SO2, volatile acidity). At last, the HACCP’s seven principles application resulted in the acting structure to the food safety and quality management. It can be concluded that the HACCP with double emphasis (health and quality) is useful especially to companies which do not have any quality system introduced, because it orientates the allocation of human and financial resources to the main hazards. So, the firm saves money because losses, double work and waste are reduced. The advantages offered by HACCP applied under a systemic emphasis, increase the competition among the whole productive chain. The grape and wine Brazilian sector is inserted in a dynamic and competitive environment exposed to serious external threatens and its survival depends on its adaptation to this scenario. Then, the HACCP system benefits cause impacts which may contribute to the Brazilian companies’ improvement.