This is the only method permitted by the Code, which also supplies specifications for the starter cultures. The aim of this step is to reduce the water activity to the extent needed to give microbiological stability after the pH reduction. The actual final pH and dryness will vary between product styles but the manufacturer must be able to establish that these combined properties in any product will prevent growth of pathogens. Work is continuing at the Division s Brisbane Laboratory to define suitable end product parameters. Cadmium is a heavy metal that can occur naturally in soils and therefore is present in certain crops.
Animals accumulate cadmium in their kidneys and livers and therefore offal can be high in cadmium.
Cadmium is also naturally present in the silt on the ocean floor and occurs in the flesh of crustaceans and molluscs who feed on ocean floor debris. Concerns about the long term effects of cadmium in the environment have raised the issue of the level of cadmium in food and agricultural products. Any consideration of cadmium levels in food and agricultural products has implications not only for health and safety but also for trade. At the request of the NFA the terms of the workshop were extended to include cadmium levels in foods. The recommendations of the workshop are not yet available but one probable outcome will be an intensive programme to minimise the addition via fertilisers of cadmium to Australian soil.