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This dissertation aimed at analysing food hazards in the locally processed tomato sauces,
assessing the adherence to food safety and quality control practices (FSQCPs), and
investigating the microbial and pesticide residues contamination in the final product. The
study was conducted in four companies in Iringa and Dar es Salaam, used structured
questionnaires and observation checklist to collect data on the basic characteristics of firms,
food hazards, and FSQCPs. Using laboratory tests, a total of forty samples of the final product
collected from different batches of the companies under the study, were biologically and
chemically investigated for the microbial and pesticide residues, respectively. The study
reports three major findings. First, a detailed hazard analysis tool, indicating how each
production process is undertaken along the entire production process chain of tomato sauce,
for each company in the sample was developed and elaborated. Second, it was found that, on
average, such companies adhered to majority of the components of FSQCPs. Third, for
laboratory tests, the microbial load was found to be less than the detectable limits (that is, a
limit of <100 CFU) and for chemical analysis there was no detectable residues of any
pesticides. This finding suggests that tomato processing, to a greater extent, reduces the levels
of both microbial load and pesticide residues that may be present in raw tomatoes sauce.
Therefore, it is recommended that, tomato processing companies should continuously enhance
the adoption of FSQCPs for strengthening product quality and productivity. Also, future
studies may be extended to other food processing value chains in Tanzania. |
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