TAJ SATS Air Catering Ltd. Review

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TAJ SATS Air Catering Ltd. is a joint venture between the Indian Hotels Company popularly known as TAJ Group of Hotels, which holds a stake of 51% and SATS (Singapore Airport Terminal Services) which holds 49%.

The TAJ Group of Hotels belong to the House of TATA (One of the largest and the most respected business houses in India) and is the leading hotel chain in India. The TATAs. Have been widely credited with promoting the industrial revolution in India and have contributed to key nation building activities, taking great risks in developing enterprises that have diversified inti an array of commercial activities.

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In doing so, they have played an important role in ushering in an era that signified the move from agricultural pursuits into industrial ones. SATS is a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines and is one of the leading providers of catering and ground handling services in Asia. The TAJ SATS Air Catering Limited is the market leader for airline catering in India.

TSACL derives more than 85% of its revenues from the airline segment, wherein it provides in-flight catering services to domestic and international airlines, besides undertaking other maintenance services such as laundry and aircraft cleaning. The company also undertakes institutional, outdoor and coffee chain catering, which contributed to around 14% of the operating revenues of the company (in FY2016). TSACL’s manufacturing facilities are located at Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata and Goa, with a per day capacity to produce 81,000 meals.

Microbiological analysis in airline catering industry

The interaction between microorganisms, plants and animals are natural and constant.

In most cases microorganisms use our food supply as a source of nutrients for their own growth. This can result in a deterioration of the food. Bacteria, by increasing their numbers, utilizing nutrients, producing enzymatic changes, contributing off-flavours by breakdown of a product or synthesis of new compounds they can “spoil” a food. Sometimes, microorganisms those are involved in spoilage are pathogenic, their association with our food supple is critical from a public health point of view. Many of our foods will support the growth of pathogenic microorganisms or at least serve as a vector of them.

Primary sources of microorganisms found in foods

Water
Food Utensils
Food Handlers
Air and Dust

III TSACL HACCP Plan

Many flight kitchens have in-house laboratories for quality control purposes. The laboratory sample their suppliers to ensure that they meet specifications and complete products to verify that hygiene management systems and production processes are operated correctly. During sampling care must be taken when taking samples, in the transportation of samples– e.g. Temperature control.

End product testing is important to verify the safety of product and the effectiveness of hygiene management systems. However, it is preferred to ensure that potentials hazards are predicted and controlled. It is achieved by the application of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP). Routine microbiological analysis of various products is carried out. Daily random food temperature checks are carried out at from receiving to dispatch. Detailed investigation of foreign objects complaints carried out in the laboratory.

Microbiological Analysis of Food

My internship at TajSATS Air Catering Ltd opened up a new perspective on how the meals we consume during flights are prepared. Having learned about strict hygiene systems in the food industry and seeing the theory I previously learned materialise into practice enhanced my knowledge. My training was guiding by professionals who gave tips and methods of working efficiently which can not be learned from theory only. The most important factor which I picked up during my training was professionalism in an industry. The foods being tested in the quality assurance laboratory, were tested for it’s total plate count, presence of coliform and Escherichia coli on a daily basis, while other pathogens were tested on specific foods. Careful grading of these are done and records are maintained to see the progressive increase or decrease in quality of foods leaving the flight kitchen. Tests for quality of water of different sources in the building were carried out too. To maintain the high quality of products from this prestigious company, a well planned HACCP plan is executed by well trained employs. Proper documents are maintained from receiving to dispatch. All in all, TSACL is one of the market leaders in our country for in-flight kitchens with it’s high quality of foods.