Description

The multidisciplinary nature of food microbiology is one of the things that make it so fascinating as a career. Food microbiologists must understand basic microbiology, the roles of beneficial microbes, food safety regulations and policy, and the proper practices that ensure safe and healthy food for billions of people. They must also be nimble thinkers, willing to embrace new analytical methods, eager to solve problems, and ever vigilant about keeping the food supply safe. The text is designed for undergraduate courses in food science, nutrition, and microbiology. This serves information on topics like the Food Safety and the use of bacteriophage as antimicrobial agents, while retaining the pedagogy that students and professors appreciate. This book presents the growth processes of food microorganisms, the biology of spores and spore formers, and the establishment of microbiological criteria in food safety programs, and it introduces students to some of the methods used to detect and enumerate microbes in food and food handling equipment. Foodborne pathogenic bacteria opens with a discussion about the regulatory agencies and surveillance systems responsible for keeping the United States food supply safe. Microbes important in food examine the many beneficial and detrimental ways that microorganisms affect our food supply. The text opens with a look at numerous foods, like beer, bread, pickles, and cheeses, created by the fermentation reactions of lactic acid bacteria and yeast. The rest of the section looks at microbes that are less desirable: the spoilers of food, toxigenic molds, and foodborne parasites. It closes with a look at viruses and prions. Control of microorganisms in food discusses the tactics used to inhibit microbial growth in food. It ends with a chapter on the essentials of developing quality sanitation and HACCP programs in food processing facilities.