Physiological and Metabolic Attributes of Microbial Groups Associated with Foods

Occurrence, prevention, and monitoring of microbial quality loss of foods and dairy products

“…1 Except in the rare cases, referred to under 3 (see listing above), mere contamination of a food will not present a health risk and as such it will never result in overt spoilage. The main harm involved in the presence of certain organisms in foods therefore lies in the possibility of subsequent proliferation of such organisms, resulting in numbers of cells that will provoke disease or lead to biochemical changes impairing the hedonic properties of foods.…”

“…In addition, thoroughly heated foods are to be protected in two ways, viz. against (1) recontamination by equipment that has been soiled by fresh meats or poultry as illustrated in • Figure 1 ; and (2) growth of an occasional recontaminant, to be achieved by adequate refrigeration.…”

“…When the intensity of heat processing increases, more and more are eliminated until only a few of the most resistant spores are left. Because the metabolic attributes of the various broad classes of organisms differ widely, 701 and because, even within the genera Bacillus and Clostridium, biochemical activities are greatly divergent, spoilage of heat-treated foods during storage is greatly dependent on the intensity of thermal processing.…”

“…Hence these food-borne diseases can be entirely controlled by (1) proper thermal treatment of foods; and (2) protecting them from recontamination by sanitary handling. Such attempts have been successful for C. diphtheriae because of its virtually complete elimination from the human biosphere in technologically advanced areas.…”

“…Obviously the third menace fc formed by soiled used packaging material and consignments returned because of complaints about spoilage. 1 Strict banning of such strongly contaminated materials from the production lines is a prerequisite in the control of spoilage due to resistant organisms.…”