Food microbiology is a fascinating and challenging science. It is also very demanding with a constantly changing sea of guidelines, regulations and equip ment. Public concerns over food safety issues can overemphasize certain risks and detract from the normal hygienic practice of food manufacturers. This new edition aims to update anyone concerned with the hygienic production of food on key issues of HACCP, food microbiology and the methods of microbe detection. I have taken a 'crystal ball' approach to certain topics. The use of rapid techniques such as lux gene technology and polymerase chain reaction (DNA probes) are progressing so rapidly in the research laboratory that when this book is in print the techniques may be more readily available. New methods for investigating viral gastroenteritis due to small round structured viruses (SRSV) have been developed past the 'research' stage and may become more standard in the next few years. Undoubtedly this will alter our understanding of the prevalence of viral food poisoning. I have also included issues such as new variant CJD (associated with BSE infected cattle) which at the time of writing has only caused the deaths of 20 people, but due to the uncertain incubation time could be a far more serious problem. In the UK there has been a much publicised outbreak of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 which has resulted in a government inquiry and the recommenda tion of the generic HACCP approach. Hence this approach to HACCP imple mentation has been included.

Microbiological Food Hygiene is a book about our clean and healthy nutrition from the sources of raw food materials into our homes. It associates nutrition to the functions of our alimentary tract and its microflora. They ultimately digest the food for nutrient uptake, as well as meet the challenges from the outside microbes. Both industrial food manufacturing and traditional means for hunting, fishing and gathering as well as the agriculture and animal husbandry are included from the hygienic point of view. Food hygienic quality during its production and preparation, distribution and catering are also focused on, as well as strategies for its maintenance. Besides our bodily source of energy and anabolism, food is a substrate for micro-organisms, both on its own and in our alimentary tract. Sometimes, the microbes cause spoilage, food-poisoning or diseases via food. Microbiological Food Hygiene introduces the common bacterial, viral, fungal or toxin agents of food-poisonings. In this book, the history of method development in food microbiology is surveyed, as well as the detection of food contaminants. Also, the follow-up of the effects of salmonellae, campylobacteria, Bacillus sp., staphylococcal, clostridial or other toxins, various food-poisoning zoonoses, dairy contamination, fish microbes, and several other forms of food contamination are included. Microbes can also be used for processing food for better diet and preservation, its improved constitution, and for adding taste or nutritional values into it. This book introduces also some more exotic cases of traditional foods and their contamination problems and preservation means, from the arctic areas to the tropics. They could serve as examples for modern homes and restaurants or large industrial kitchens. The positive contribution of microbial strains in binding valuable trace elements, such as selenium and other minerals is presented, as well as the probiotic activities of several microbes and their roles in maintaining the BIB (Bacteriological Intestinal Balance). Results on health promoting flavonoid substances and neonatal milk formulas are introduced. Methods for microbiological food diagnostics and quality monitoring are widely included, also with some actual problems as the spread of antibiotic resistant strains and some other emerging threats. These hazards are partially due to population expansion and global trade and travelling. Also, the industrial food manufacturing accelerates the buildup of some of the problems. Experts in microbiology as well as those working with food production and distribution in our societies need to keep up with the pace of various methods of development, such as novel genetic techniques or immunoassays, enhanced enrichment, volatile sensing, molecular diagnostics and many others. The influence of various microbes in foods and thereof is related to their metabolic capabilities, surface structures and the antigenic properties, biofilm formation, intestinal interactions, etc. These phenomena are profoundly discussed in the Microbiological Food Hygiene. Food sterilisation, hygienisation and preservation techniques, large kitchens and catering services, and other practical issues are also introduced. The importance of theoretic background is to be estimated on the basis of everyday activities in the versatile and fascinating field of food production and hygiene.

Essential Microbiology and Hygiene for Food Professionals is an accessible and practical introduction, providing the basic science relating to microorganisms in food. Assuming no prior knowledge of microbiology, chapters take a fresh and modern approach in helping students appreciate the importance of microbiology and hygiene in assuring food safety and quality, and demonstrate the application of key principles relating to the presence, detection, and control of microorganisms in foods. Written in a user-friendly style, this book is an invaluable text for all those studying microbiology and hygiene on courses in the food professions, including food science, food technology, culinary arts, catering and hospitality, nutrition, dietetics, environmental health, and public health.

As a group of organisms that are too small to see and best known for being agents of disease and death, microbes are not always appreciated for the numerous supportive and positive contributions they make to the living world. Designed to support a course in microbiology, Microbiology: A Laboratory Experience permits a glimpse into both the good and the bad in the microscopic world. The laboratory experiences are designed to engage and support student interest in microbiology as a topic, field of study, and career. This text provides a series of laboratory exercises compatible with a one-semester undergraduate microbiology or bacteriology course with a three- or four-hour lab period that meets once or twice a week. The design of the lab manual conforms to the American Society for Microbiology curriculum guidelines and takes a ground-up approach -- beginning with an introduction to biosafety and containment practices and how to work with biological hazards. From there the course moves to basic but essential microscopy skills, aseptic technique and culture methods, and builds to include more advanced lab techniques. The exercises incorporate a semester-long investigative laboratory project designed to promote the sense of discovery and encourage student engagement. The curriculum is rigorous but manageable for a single semester and incorporates best practices in biology education.

Low water activity (aw) and dried foods such as dried dairy and meat products, grain-based and dried ready-to-eat cereal products, powdered infant formula, peanut and nut pastes, as well as flours and meals have increasingly been associated with product recalls and foodborne outbreaks due to contamination by pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and enterohemorrhagic E. coli. In particular, recent foodborne outbreaks and product recalls related to Salmonella-contaminated spices have raised the level of public health concern for spices as agents of foodborne illnesses. Presently, most spices are grown outside the U.S., mainly in 8 countries: India, Indonesia, China, Brazil, Peru, Madagascar, Mexico and Vietnam. Many of these countries are under-developed and spices are harvested and stored with little heed to sanitation. The FDA has regulatory oversight of spices in the United States; however, the agency’s control is largely limited to enforcing regulatory compliance through sampling and testing only after imported foodstuffs have crossed the U.S. border. Unfortunately, statistical sampling plans are inefficient tools for ensuring total food safety. As a result, the development and use of decontamination treatments is key. This book provides an understanding of the microbial challenges to the safety of low aw foods, and a historic backdrop to the paradigm shift now highlighting low aw foods as vehicles for foodborne pathogens. Up-to-date facts and figures of foodborne illness outbreaks and product recalls are included. Special attention is given to the uncanny ability of Salmonella to persist under dry conditions in food processing plants and foods. A section is dedicated specifically to processing plant investigations, providing practical approaches to determining sources of persistent bacterial strains in the industrial food processing environment. Readers are guided through dry cleaning, wet cleaning and alternatives to processing plant hygiene and sanitation. Separate chapters are devoted to low aw food commodities of interest including spices, dried dairy-based products, low aw meat products, dried ready-to-eat cereal products, powdered infant formula, nuts and nut pastes, flours and meals, chocolate and confectionary, dried teas and herbs, and pet foods. The book provides regulatory testing guidelines and recommendations as well as guidance through methodological and sampling challenges to testing spices and low aw foods for the presence of foodborne pathogens. Chapters also address decontamination processes for low aw foods, including heat, steam, irradiation, microwave, and alternative energy-based treatments.

This book focuses on state of the art technologies to produce microbiologically safe foods for our global dinner table. Each chapter summarizes the most recent scientific advances, particularly with respect to food processing, pre- and post-harvest food safety, quality control, and regulatory information. The book begins with a general discussion of microbial hazards and their public health ramifications. It then moves on to survey the production processes of different food types, including dairy, eggs, beef, poultry, and fruits and vegetables, pinpointing potential sources of human foodborne diseases. The authors address the growing market in processed foods as well novel interventions such as innovative food packaging and technologies to reduce spoilage organisms and prolong shelf life. Each chapter also describes the ormal flora of raw product, spoilage issues, pathogens of concern, sources of contamination, factors that influence survival and growth of pathogens and spoilage organisms, indicator microorganisms, approaches to maintaining product quailty and reducing harmful microbial populations, microbial standards for end-product testing, conventional microbiological and molecular methods, and regulatory issues. Other important topics include the safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), predictive microbiology, emerging foodborne pathogens, good agricultural and manufacturing processes, avian influenza, and bioterrorism.

The book will provide an overview of the important issues in food safety, which shows no sign of diminishing as a topic of huge concern from industry to consumer. The book does not set out to compete with large standard food microbiology titles that are well established, but will be a companion text with less scientific background detail and more information for those actually going into jobs where a practical knowledge of food safety issues is necessary. The companion website for this book can be found at: http://www.foodmicrobe.com/info.htm Practically oriented Author has wide experience of teaching cutting edge food safety information Topic of great and growing concern Succinct, core, vital information for food industry personnel