The CCP decision tree and a HACCP plan for pasteurised milk
The CCP decision tree asks four questions to find each CCP. The HACCP plan table then lists, for each CCP, the limit, monitoring, corrective action, verification and records.
The CCP decision tree (classic Codex version)
Ask these questions for each significant hazard at each step. The tree is a guide; the team's knowledge of the process makes the final decision. This is the version in most textbooks; the latest Codex revision gives an updated example tree that first asks whether prerequisite programmes (such as GHP) can control the hazard.
- Q1Do control measures exist for this hazard?No → is control at this step necessary for safety? If yes, change the step, process or product; if no, it is not a CCP. Yes → go to Q2.
- Q2★Is this step specifically designed to eliminate the hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level?Yes → this step is a CCP. No → go to Q3.
- Q3Could contamination occur, or the hazard increase, to an unacceptable level at this step?No → not a CCP. Yes → go to Q4.
- Q4★Will a later step eliminate the hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level?Yes → not a CCP here (the later step is). No → this step is a CCP.
★ one-way, controls the pace
Process flow: pasteurised milk in pouches
Steps not marked are controlled by prerequisite programmes: cleaning-in-place (CIP) of pipes and tanks, safe water, personal hygiene and pest control.
Hazard analysis (summary)
| Step | Hazard | Type | Significant? | Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw milk reception | Antibiotic residues, aflatoxin M1, adulterants (urea, detergent, neutralisers) | Chemical | Yes: no later step removes them | Test every lot; approved suppliers → CCP 1 |
| Raw milk reception | Pathogens (Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria) | Biological | Yes | Controlled later by pasteurisation, so not a CCP here |
| Filtration | Hair, straw, dirt | Physical | Low | Filters and clarifier (PRP) |
| Pasteurisation | Survival of pathogens (Coxiella burnetii, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Listeria, Salmonella) | Biological | Yes | Time and temperature → CCP 2 |
| Cooling and cold storage | Growth of spore-formers that survive heating (Bacillus cereus) and of any contaminants | Biological | Yes | Temperature → CCP 3 |
| Filling | Recontamination from an unclean filler; cleaning chemical residues | Biological, chemical | Controlled by PRPs | CIP with rinse checks; hygiene of the filling room |
HACCP plan table: pasteurised toned milk in pouches
| Item | CCP 1: Raw milk reception | CCP 2: HTST pasteurisation | CCP 3: Cooling and cold storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazard | Antibiotic residues; adulterants (urea, detergent, neutralisers) | Survival of pathogens | Growth of bacteria that survive heating or get in later |
| Critical limit | Rapid antibiotic test negative; adulterant tests negative | At least 72 °C for at least 15 s | Milk cooled to 4 °C or below straight after pasteurisation and kept at 4 °C or below until dispatch |
| Monitoring | Rapid test kit on every tanker or can lot before unloading; done by the reception chemist | Continuous temperature recorder and flow diversion valve; operator checks the chart every hour | Temperature recorder on the cooler; cold room thermometer logged every 2 hours by the store-in-charge |
| Corrective action | Reject the lot; record it; inform the supplier or society and retrain them | Flow diversion valve sends under-heated milk back to the balance tank for re-pasteurisation; stop and repair; hold milk made since the last good check | Re-chill at once; if milk stayed warm too long, hold, test or discard it; repair the cooler |
| Verification | Laboratory confirms a sample each week; test-kit expiry and controls checked; QA manager reviews records daily | Flow diversion valve tested at start-up each day; thermometers calibrated; alkaline phosphatase test on every batch; coliform tests | Thermometers calibrated; plate count and coliform tests on stored milk; logs reviewed |
| Records | Milk reception register; test results; rejection log | Temperature charts; valve test log; phosphatase results; calibration records | Temperature logs; deviation reports; laboratory reports |
Activity: how to prepare a HACCP plan for one product
Use these steps for the assignment. Pick a simple product: pasteurised milk, paneer, idli batter or tomato ketchup. The limits given here are standard ones; a real plant follows its own validated limits.
- 1Form a small team and write the scope: the product, the plant, from receiving to dispatch.
- 2Write the product description: ingredients, pH, packaging, storage, shelf life and intended users.
- 3Draw the flow diagram and, if you can, check it during a plant visit.
- 4★At each step list biological, chemical and physical hazards, and mark which are significant (likely and severe).
- 5★Run each significant hazard through the 4-question decision tree and mark the CCPs.
- 6★For each CCP fill the plan table: hazard, critical limit, monitoring, corrective action, verification and records.
- 7Add the prerequisite programmes that support the plan: cleaning, pest control, personal hygiene, safe water.
- 8State when the plan will be reviewed: every year, and whenever the recipe, equipment or supplier changes.
★ one-way, controls the pace
A paneer unit supplying hotels uses the same table: its CCPs are heating the milk before acid is added and cold storage of the paneer. An idli batter unit watches water quality and chilling of the batter after fermentation.
2 marks: “What is the alkaline phosphatase test used for?” To check that milk has been properly pasteurised. Correct pasteurisation destroys the enzyme, so the test should be negative.
5 marks: “Explain the CCP decision tree.” Its purpose; the four questions with their yes/no paths; draw the tree; examples: pasteurisation is a CCP (Q2 yes), but pathogens at milk reception are not a CCP there because pasteurisation controls them later (Q4 yes).
10 marks: “Prepare a HACCP plan for pasteurised milk.” Product description; flow diagram; hazard analysis; CCPs by the decision tree; plan table with limits (at least 72 °C for 15 s), monitoring, corrective action, verification (phosphatase test) and records; prerequisites; review.
Plan table columns: H-L-M-C-V-R (Hazard, Limit, Monitoring, Corrective action, Verification, Records): 'Have Lunch, Monitor Cooks, Verify Records.'