Food Safety Magazine, April/May 2012

By Adriana Quintanar Guzmán, Ph.D.
GMPs in the Snack Food
Industry in Latin America

with salt and often with additional flavorings.;Current;regulation;requires that;snacks;be;shelf;stable;as;well,;requir-ing no refrigeration for preservation, packaged in a ready-to-eat fashion, typi-cally;divided;into;bite-size;pieces,;easily handled;with;the;fingers;and;may;have an oily or dry appearance depending on customer;expectations;for;the;specific product.

Good Manufacturing Practices are critical for ready-to-eat snacks worldwide

hat;is;a;snack;food?;Merriam-Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary;defines;the;noun
“snack”;as;“a;light;meal,;food;eaten
between;regular;meals,;food;suitable;for
snacking.”;A;leftover;from;last;evening’s
home;or;restaurant;meal,;an;afternoon;bowl;of;breakfast
cereal or cookies and milk for children returning from
school;in;midafternoon;are;all;properly;named;“snacks.”
However,;what;if;there;are;only;a;few;“regular
meals”;during;the;day?;Scheduling;regular;meals;could
be;challenging;when;parents;(or;a;single;parent);and
children leave home at different times for work and
school, especially when lunches are primarily eaten away
from home and when activities for the children occupy
weekday;evenings;and;sometimes;weekends;as;well.;Our
society sometimes lacks a structured time schedule for
meals.;Food;is;often;purchased;at;drive-through;windows
and;consumed;alone;in;vehicles.;Often,;office;workers
take coffee and sometimes microwave popcorn to their
desks;at;lunchtime.;Snacks;are;then;a;convenient;food
for;people;on;the;go.;Snacks;are;mainly;eaten;for;craving
and;should;not;be;considered;a;“meal.”
In;general,;snacks;should;have;several;characteristics,
such;as;being;safe;and;free;of;hazardous;chemicals,;other
toxic;substances;and;pathogenic;organisms;as;defined
by;several;federal;laws;and;enforced;by;various;agencies.
Snacks;are;typically;prepared;commercially;in;large;quan-
tities;by;continuous;processes;;they;are;usually;seasoned

Snack Food Variety

There;are;some;differences;among the snack producers in terms of the type of;products;they;offer.;In;general,;the typical snack products include tortilla chips, corn chips, potato chips, extruded products;(direct;expansion;and;pellets), pork rinds, pretzels, popcorn, nuts and seeds.

Tortilla;chips;are;products;made;with nixtamalized corn masa, or dough (flour;or;fresh;masa).;Masa;is;sheeted, forming circles, triangles, rectangles, etc.,;and;then;baked;in;typical;three-belt;ovens.;After;baking,;the;product;is equilibrated;(conditioned;or;put;at;rest) and;then;fried,;seasoned;and;finally packaged.

In;contrast,;corn;chips;are;produced by;extruding;masa;at;low;pressure;and room temperature and directly fried, then;seasoned;and;packaged.;Potato chips made from fresh potatoes are fabricated;by;slicing;potatoes;(previously washed;and;peeled);and;immediately frying;them.

There;are;two;types;of;extruded;prod-ucts:;direct;expansion;and;pellets.;Direct expansion;snacks;are;products;obtained by;extrusion;(collets;or;corn;curls),;which can;then;be;baked;or;fried.;This;type;of extrusion;is;achieved;by;applying;high pressure and high temperature in a short period;of;time.;The;main;raw;material for;this;type;of;products;is;cornmeal.