Running Head: 75589251 HEALTHY PASTRY Introduction To obtain a healthy pastry one need to develop and optimize the product putting into consideration the process and necessary ingredients. Other issues that are necessary involve the idea about the required process equipments and packaging eligible according to the stipulated legislation to fit the product in the market. The process should be monitored in such a way that it ensures the safety and the quality of the final products. The selection in this paper looks at the production of samosa pastry. The selection of the equipments and other requirements are based on the quantity of samosa one wants to produce per day. Before the production of samosas, one needs to carry out a consumer acceptability and preference test. This is meant to provide an indication of whether the formulated product is acceptable to the consumers. This is to ensure that the preferred formulated product will be found out and also the optimization of the process is realized. In manufacturing or preparation of samosa pastry, the process specification is supposed to be followed. It involves the use of quality ingredients to give a uniform product at the end of the process. Pastry is directly associated with human health. It is important to put into consideration whether the industrial production of pastry conforms to the safety and quality criteria that have been set up in the existing industrial standards and legislation. Many people consider pastry making and eating difficult and unhealthy. The preparation of samosa can take form of industrial procedure or domestic based preparation. This paper summarizes the industrial preparation of samosa that can produce the ready to eat and the ones to be frozen. It requires monounsaturated vegetable oil instead of butter or shortening. This means that the pastry is healthier than other traditional recipes. Ingredients include; Plain flour, Vegetable oil, Water, Baking powder, onion, sweet potato and Salt. Steps: Washing of the vegetables: The onions and the sweet potatoes are washed in order to remove soil remains, stones, and any other foreign material derived from the field. One of the requirements of the UK food and safety agencies is that hygiene should be highly observed and maintained in all food production processes. Dicing of vegetables: This is to ensure that samosa fillings have equal sizes, thickness and shape in order to achieve equal heat transfer uniformity during heating/cooking. The reduction in size also makes efficiency in proper mixing of the ingredients. In addition to the reduction in size of the product it also ensures that packaging of the product will conform to the packaging requirement of products set by the food agencies. Cooking of soya chunks: Soya chunks are cooked to rehydrate and retake their previous texture and form. Staining out water from soya chunks is done and the remnants of water is poured in a colander Cooking of the filling: This step involves cooking of sweet potatoes, onions, and soya chunks all together in a cooking kettle. This is followed with the addition of the spices. It is important that all ingredients are properly mixed to ensure homogeneity of the fillings and to ensure the improvement of the characteristics of the final product. Dough preparation: Dough can be prepared in a mixing machine. Here, whole flour and plain flour is mixed with the sunflower oil, water and grounded cumin. Mixing here is achieved with the aid of three main actions; kneading, folding and shearing. When the dough is ready, it is left to rest for a while in a tray. Forming or shaping of samosa; the dough and the fillings here are put into the spring roll. The thickness of the samosa pastry is produced by the machine. Frying samosa should be done until a crispy and golden brown surface is obtained. The metal heated surface should be covered by a thin layer of sunflower oil. The temperature of the oil should be high to ensure that the absorption of oil by the samosa is minimized. Cooling: Ready to eat samosas are put into cooling machine. The batches that are destined for frozen storage are put in a strip tunnel quick freeze machine. Primary packaging: When it comes to the packaging of the product the process used should be transparent to reflect the standards set by the regulatory institutions. In packaging issues to do with the food standard are very important aspects in manufacturing of samosa. The ready to eat samosa are packaged in plastic bags. Frozen samosa is put in the vertical packaging machine. After packaging, all products pass though the metal detector. This is supposed to detect whether samosa is contaminated with the metal pieces from the metal surfaces of the machines and equipments. The equipment can also monitor and measure the weight of each samosa. The essence of the thorough check up during the packaging process is to verify that all the legislation requirements have been met and also ensure that the product is fit for the European market. European and the International Regulations for the Production Process The food standards agency is mandated with carrying out policies that are aimed at ensuring that food substances are safe for human consumption. They have activities which entails research funding on microbial, radiological, and chemical safety, as well as allergy and food hygiene. These standards are aimed at regulating industrial productions of food products. The stipulation also followed a development of Codex Alimentarius. This was developed as a series of related text and food standards, aimed at providing a high level consumer protection and fair practice in the international trade of agricultural products and food. Many samosas have been known to be unhealthy. It is important to follow strict standards during the production process in order to create a healthy samosa (Food Standard Agency, 2011). The food safety and quality criteria require that the production of any food substance to conform to set guidelines in order to ensure that it is fit for human consumption: not contaminated in any way and is of the nature, quality and substance that is healthy to the consumers. Proper handling of the food products should be ensured at every stage of the production process. This should ensure avoidance of any contamination. The regulations also recommend that the food should be kept in conditions that prevent the growth of bacteria. In samosa production, it is extremely important to consider if the whole production focus regulations and safety measures. One of the national provisions on food products in the UK is that there must be a prescribed name of the product by the law and also it should be acceptable in the European market. The ingredients of making the product should also be stated during packaging of the product so as to ensure that the product is not a health hazard. These procedures should therefore be properly followed to ensure that the production process is transparent and conforms to the requirements in the European market (Food Standard Agency, 2011). In line with the European food standards the first step in making samosas should involve proper washing of the vegetables; onions and potatoes. Correct temperatures should be put in place for production. The product should remain covered and heated by the cooking kettle to avoid any contamination (Food Standards Agency, 2011). In regard to the EU and U.K stipulation, the process has demonstrated a clear understanding of the safety and quality standards. The process has also shown that products are manufactured in such a way that there is avoidance of contact with the potentially contaminated foods and equipments. The cooling process has also been done in a way that avoids contamination (Will and Guether, 2007). The fact that samosa is supposed to be fried until it becomes crispy and the surface golden brown is a clear indication that the food is well cooked. The use of oil eliminates too much calories which will make it unhealthy for human consumption. The packaging process is a true indication that safety and quality criteria conforms to the UK and EU food and safety standards (Food Standards Agency, 2011). Industrial production of samosa in essence follows safety and quality criteria. The whole process of preparation, cooking, cooling, and packaging is well carried out and will ensure that the final product is healthy for human consumption This paper has discussed whether the provided process of the industrial production of samosa conforms to the safety and quality criteria set by existing industrial standards and legislation. It has been noted that the process was adequate and conformed to the standards of food production. The training process of the staff is not well-discussed despite its significance. It is important that staff training be given adequate consideration to ensure full compliance with the established standards and legislation. Samosa pastry production process has been put into the limelight as having been adequate and able to conform to the legislation and standards of food production. Other trends that should be channeled to ensure further quality entails product commercialization which includes conducting a commercial product test, determine the factors affecting shelf life, find proper packaging and legislation for the product, and propose HACCP and quality control plans. References Fellows, P.J. 2000. Food Processing Technology- Principles and Practice (2nd edition) [online]. Woodhead Publishing. [Assessed 29 June 2011]. Available from: Food Standards Agency (2011). Industry sector rules. Retrieved on July 1, 2011 from: Food Production (Safety) Act 2000. Retrieved on July 1, 2011 from: Will, M. & Guether, D. (2007). Food Quality and Safety Standards. Retrieved on July 1, 2011 from: