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Raw Material Inspection Process

1. Supplier Access and Qualification Review

Suppliers must provide business licenses, production licenses, ISO 22000/HACCP certification, and other qualifications, and pass third-party factory inspections. A supplier risk stratification model will be established. The inspection frequency will be determined based on raw material type (e.g., meat, grain, additives). Meat raw materials must be inspected for every batch, while grain raw materials will be inspected quarterly. Historical quality data will be used to determine the inspection frequency.

2. Arrival Inspection and Testing

Inspect the raw materials' appearance (e.g., meat color, grain mold), odor (e.g., rancid oil smell), and texture (e.g., lumps, impurities). Any abnormalities will be immediately isolated.

Near-infrared spectroscopy will be used to rapidly test nutritional indicators such as protein, fat, and moisture, with an error limit of ±2%. (Chicken raw materials must have a protein content of ≥20% and a moisture content of ≤75%).

LC-MS/MS will be used to test for pesticide residues and heavy metals, and ELISA kits will be used to test for aflatoxin B1. Imported raw materials must also provide an official quarantine certificate from the country of origin

3. Sampling and Traceability:

A 3-5kg sample is retained from each batch of raw materials and stored in a -20°C freezer to facilitate quality traceability.

Information such as raw material batch, supplier, and test results is recorded through the ERP system, enabling full traceability from farm to table

Quality Control Points in the Production Process

1. Raw Material Pretreatment

Meat raw materials must be thawed at 0-4°C and cleaned with a high-pressure water jet (pressure ≥ 1.5 MPa) to remove surface impurities. The total microbial count after cleaning must be ≤ 10^4 CFU/g. Grain raw materials are passed through a vibrating screen to remove stones and metal debris, and then passed through a magnetic separator (magnetic field strength ≥ 1200 gauss) to remove ferromagnetic impurities.

2. Mixing and Processing:

A twin-shaft paddle mixer is used, with a mixing time of ≥ 8 minutes and a coefficient of variation (CV) of ≤ 5%. For example, trace element premixes must be mixed separately before being added to the main mixer. Extruded grains must be puffed at 120-140°C for 30-60 seconds, with a core temperature ≥120°C and an F0 value ≥3.0 to kill pathogens such as Salmonella. Commercial sterility testing must comply with GB 10786.

3. Spraying and Cooling

Grease spraying uses a metered spraying system (accuracy ±0.5%). The oil content of the pellets after spraying must be controlled at 8-12%.

The pellet temperature is lowered to ≤25°C and the humidity to ≤10% using a fluidized bed cooler to prevent microbial growth during the cooling process.

4. Foreign Object Detection

A metal detector is installed before packaging, and the equipment is verified hourly using standard test blocks.

A dual-energy X-ray machine is used to detect foreign matter such as plastic, glass, and bone fragments.

Microbiology and Safety Testing Laboratory

1. Laboratory Layout and Equipment

Zone Management: Divided into a sterile operation area (equipped with a Class II biosafety cabinet), a culture area (constant temperature incubator, anaerobic culture system), and a testing area (PCR instrument, colony counter). Each area is independently ventilated with a pressure gradient ≥ 5 Pa.

Core Equipment: Clean bench: used for sample inoculation, cleanliness must meet ISO Class 5 (Class 100). High-pressure steam autoclave: 121°C, 15 minutes to sterilize culture media and glassware, equipped with a biological indicator to verify sterilization effectiveness. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR instrument**: Rapidly detects pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, with a detection limit of ≤ 10 CFU/g.

2. Testing Items and Frequency

Microbiological testing: Each batch of finished product is tested for total colony count, coliform bacteria, and mold. Pathogenic bacteria (Salmonella and Listeria) must not be detected. Environmental Monitoring: Weekly microbial monitoring is conducted on production workshop air (settling bacteria ≤ 50 CFU/dish) and equipment surfaces (smear test ≤ 10 CFU/cm²). Any abnormalities detected are immediately disinfected and corrected.

3. Data Management and Validation

Key test indicators (such as total colony count) are monitored using X-ray diffraction charts. If seven consecutive points exceed the control limits, a deviation investigation is initiated.

Full Inspection Mechanism for Finished Products Before Shipment

1. Sampling Standards

In accordance with GB/T 2828.1-2012, General Inspection Level II is used. The AQL values are set as follows: AQL = 0 for key items (such as pathogens), AQL = 1.5 for important items (such as nutritional ingredients), and AQL = 2.5 for general items (such as packaging labeling). For example, from a batch of 5,000 bags of dog food, 200 bags must be sampled for testing.

2. Full Inspection Items

Sensory Inspection: 50 bags are randomly sampled and inspected for granule color uniformity, shape integrity, and odor purity. The failure rate must be ≤ 2%. Physical and Chemical Testing: Moisture content (≤ 10% on dry food), crude ash content, calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, and other indicators are tested. At least three replicate samples are tested for each batch.

Packaging Verification: The airtightness of the packaging bag is tested using a seal tester (pressure decay ≤ 1 kPa/min). The net weight is checked using an electronic weighing machine, with a deviation within ±1%.

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