Section 1: Introduction

Safe food production does not only refer to microbiological hazards. There are also chemical (ie. pesticide residues) and physical hazards (ie. shards of glass). Nevertheless the two books concentrate on microbiological hazards. Chapter 1 of 'The Microbiology of Safe Food' gives background information on manufacturing safe (hygienic) food, the persistence of pathogens (Table 1.3, p4) and the routes of transmission (Fig. 1.1, p5) and the integration with quality management systems such as GMP, GHP and TQM, which are covered in detail in chapter 7, and finally Risk Analysis, which is more fully explained in chapter 9 and in the more recent book 'The Microbiological Risk Assessment of Food'. Issues I have not covered include labelling and importing foods. The FDA web site of guidance notes may help in these matters.

Overview

Extract modified from the author's book The Microbiology of Safe Food published by Blackwells Science Ltd.

Throughout the world, food production has become more complex. Frequently raw materials are sourced globally and the food is processed through an increasing variety of techniques. No longer does the local farm serve the local community through a local shop, nowadays there are international corporations adhering to national and international regimes. Therefore approaches to safe food production are being assessed on an expanding platform from national, European, transatlantic and beyond. Against this backdrop there have been numerous highly publicized food safety issues such as BSE and E. coli O157:H7 which has caused the general public to become more cautious of vociferous concerning food issues. Whilst large organizations were wondering about the impact of the Millennium bug, in the UK the public were waiting to see the impact of the BSE 'bug' (a few hundred or a few thousand cases?). The controversy in Europe over genetically modified foods is perceived by the general public within the context of 'food poisoning'.

There are certain circumstances which require zero tolerances for pathogens. However more frequently there are acceptable limits set, albeit with statistical accuracy or inaccuracy depending upon whether you subsequently suffer from food poisoning. Microbes are traditionally ingested in fermented foods and this has developed into the subject of pre- and probiotics with refuted health benefits. Whether engineered 'functional foods' will be able to attain consumer acceptance remains to be seen.

Food microbiology covers both food pathogens and food spoilage organisms as well as organisms involved in food production (ie fermented foods). Due to the heightened public awareness over food poisoning it is important that all companies in the food chain maintain high hygienic standards and assure the public of the safety of the produce. Obviously over time there are technological changes in production methods and in methods of microbiological analysis. Therefore the food microbiologist needs to know the affect of processing changes (pH, temperature, etc.) on the microbial load. Hence the author's book (The Microbiology of Safe Food) reviews the dominant food borne microorganisms, the means of their detection, microbiological criteria as the numerical means of interpreting end-product testing, predictive microbiology as a tool to understanding the consequences of processing changes, the role of 'Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point' (HACCP) and the objectives of Microbial Risk Assessment (MRA) and the setting of Food Safety Objectives which have recently become a focus of attention.

In recent years the Web has become an invaluable source of information and to reflect this a range of useful food safety resource sites are given in the back to encourage the reader to boldly go and surf. Although primarily aimed for undergraduate and postgraduate courses I hope the books will also be of use to those working in industry.

Specific learning outcomes

After studying the books and online material you should be able to:

Describe the natural and spoilage flora of foods and explain their significance.
Describe the major food poisoning microorganisms
Explain the factors which limit microbial growth in food
Used predictive microbiology programs for food poisoning and food spoilage organisms
Discuss the merits of HACCP implementation
Describe the application of Microbiological Risk Assessment
Evaluate the trends in food poisoning statistics
Describe the principles of food preservation
Discuss current issues in food microbiology such as BSE-nvCJD, probiotics and causes of antibiotic resistance

Generic learning outcomes:

The development of responsibility for personal time management
An appreciation of the use of the internet as an information resource
The ability to undertake independent literature research
The ability to record observations from experimental investigations and present the findings in writing.

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