FOOD MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Microbial Ecology of Foods

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Microbial ecology of foods: 1.Importance of microbes in foods 2.Intrinsic factors affecting microbial growth 3.Microbial growth, death and survival in foods: meat, poultry, seafood's, dairy Products, fruits, vegetable and grains

Importance of microbes in foods

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
The study of the microorganisms which inhabit, create or contaminate food.
It is a sub-discipline of food science. It encompasses the areas of food safety, food spoilage (food preservation), and food fermentation.

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
FOOD SCIENCE Food Microbiology

Food Engineering/ Food Processing Food Spoilage/ Preservation

Food Chemistry

Food Fermentation Food Safety

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
It involves the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage or foodborne diseases. These include bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This term is not restricted to pathogenic organisms: the presence of various non-pathogenic bacteria and fungi in cheeses and wines, for example, is included in this concept.

Where do they come from

Microorganisms get in food from both natural and external sources.

PRIMARY SOURCES OF MICROBES IN FOODS

Internal tissues of healthy plants (fruits and vegetables) and animal (meat) are essentially sterile and are not generally sources of microorganisms

 Natural Plant Sources:

PRIMARY SOURCES OF MICROBES IN FOODS

Surface of fruits, vegetables and grains Damaged tissues and pores of some tubers

Natural Animal Sources:

Skin Hair Urinogenital tract Feathers Gastrointestinal tractRespiratory tract

Milk ducts

External sources
Air Soil Sewage Water Feeds

PRIMARY SOURCES OF MICROBES IN FOODS

Humans/other animals Food ingredients Equipment/Utensils Packaging Insects

Eg. PRODUCT PATHOGEN CONTAMINATION

Poultry Meat Animals Manure Soil Processing Plant Humans PRODUCT CONTAMINATION Sewage Food Ingredients Vegetables Fruits

Dairy Cows

Seafood's

MICROBES IN FOODS
The microbial flora of food therefore consists of:

The microorganisms associated with the raw materials; Microorganisms introduced during harvesting, handling and processing; and Microorganisms surviving any preservation treatment and storage.

Sources

Ready-To-Eat Food

Man Raw foods Insects Animals Rodents Environment Dust Soil Refuse

Mobile Vehicle s
Hands Equipme nt Cloths

Stationar y Vehicles Food or hand contact surfaces

IMPACT OF MICROORGANISMS

Microorganisms can be both beneficial and harmful to humans.

We tend to emphasize harmful microorganisms (infectious disease agents, or pathogens), but many more microorganisms in nature are beneficial than are

MICROBES IN FOODS
The major concern of microbial presence in food is due to undesirable properties. Most are able to spoil foods and several are pathogenic. However there are others that have beneficial properties:
in food production, maintaining normal health of the gastrointestinal tract of humans; and controlling spoilage and pathogenic bacteria in food (Biopreservation)

The Good

FOOD PRODUCTION
When certain microorganisms grow in foods, they produce desirable flavors and textures, and may also inhibit pathogenic organisms. Fermentation can make food more nutritious, tastier or easier to digest. It can also enhance food safety because it helps to preserve food and increase its shelf life, reducing the need for refrigeration or other energy intensive preservation methods.

FOOD PRODUCTION
Several thousands of fermented products are produced worldwide by natural or controlled fermentation of milk, meat, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and others. There are four categories of fermented foods fermented meat products sausages fermented diary products yogurt, cheese fermented vegetable and fruit products pickles, sauerkraut, soy sauce fermented beverages wines, beer, rum

FOOD PRODUCTION
Most fermentation bacteria belong to the genera Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, or Micrococcus. They preserve food by converting the sugars needed by competing microbes to lactic acid and other acids, which inhibits the growth of some organisms

FOOD PRODUCTION
Acetobacter and Gluconobacter are used in the production of vinegar. Yeasts, usually Saccharomyces, is used to produce ethanol and CO2, and in the processes of brewing and baking

FOOD SUPPLEMENTS Food supplements that benefit from the effects of microorganisms include:

Vitamins
Vitamins have major usage as food and feed supplements. Due to their complex nature, two are produced by microorganisms- vitamin B12 and riboflavin

FOOD SUPPLEMENTS
Amino Acids (glutamic acid, aspartic acid)
The most important amino acids produced commercially are glutamic acid, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and lysine Aspartic acid and phenylalanine are the ingredients of the artificial sweetener aspartame, a non-nutritive sweetener of diet soft drinks and other foods sold as low-calorie or sugar-free products

BENEFICIAL BACTERIA - GI TRACT

Probiotics are products containing living microorganisms, which on ingestion in certain numbers exert health benefits beyond inherent general nutrition For example active Yogurt may contain Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii , Lactococcus thermophilus, and/or Streptococcus thermophilus

BENEFICIAL BACTERIA - GI TRACT

Probiotics benefit the GI tract by: Providing protection against enteric pathogens
normal metabolism creates unfavorable conditions for pathogens e.g. acid production, competition for nutrients)

Supplying enzymes to help metabolize foods

lactase

Detoxify harmful food components and metabolites that can cause cancers Stimulate the intestinal immune systems Improve intestinal peristaltic activity.

BIOPRESERVATION Food-grade bacteria and yeasts produce different antimicrobial compounds, such as:
organic acids, diacetyl, H2O2, reuterin, bacteriocins, enzymes

BIOPRESERVATION These compounds may have bacteriostatic, bacteriocidal, fungistatic and fungicidal action against organisms involved in food spoilage and food-borne disease. Because they are from safe microorganisms they can be used as food biopreservatives.

AGRICULTURE

Microorganisms are important in the agricultural industry:

Biological control and bioinsecticides The control of an agricultural pest (insect) or disease causing organism by a microorganism or microbial toxin to prevent infection of a plant Vaccines

AGRICULTURE

Fertility of soil and symbiotic associations with plants

Mycorrhizaea, a association fungus-plant root

Rhizobium (nitrogen fixation)

Bacteria in nodules on roots, convert atmospheric nitrogen into fixed nitrogen that the plants use for growth. The activities of the bacteria reduce the need for costly and polluting plant fertilizer.

AGRICULTURE
Ruminant Animals
Important in farm animals that have a rumen, in which microorganisms are responsible for carrying out the digestion process. Without them these animals could not survive on nutrient poor food like hay and grass.

Cycling of nutrients
Responsible for the cycling of important nutrients like carbon, nitrogen and sulphur

The Bad

THE BAD
Most food-related illnesses have historically been attributed to one of five major groups of pathogenic bacteria:

1. Salmonella and Shigella 2. Clostridium botulinum 3. Clostridium These have been perfringens

4. Bacillus cereus 5. Staphylococcus aureus.

joined by the emerging pathogens: Yersinia

enterocolitica, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogens, and Campylobacter jejuni.

THE BAD
Viruses do not reproduce in foods and are not competitors in this sense (the food acts only as a carrier). Yeasts and molds usually grow more slowly than bacteria and are rarely a problem in foods that support bacterial growth. If allowed to grow however they will cause food spoilage.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

incidence of foodborne illness from 1970s till now

Generally Trending UP Or Generally Trending Down Or Holding Steady

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES NOT REDUCED

Foodborne & waterborne diseases are still a major cause of death in many developing countries and developed.
Incidence of foodborne diseases in Venezuela (From CDC)

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES IN U.S.A.

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES IN CANADA

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES IN AUS.

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES NOT REDUCED

One would expect the incidence to be significantly lower due to: increased public awareness of bacterial food-borne illnesses, regulations and technologies geared towards food safety increased sanitation.

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES NOT REDUCED

Food-borne illness is not being reduced because of the following:
1.Controlled food processing is often preceded by relatively uncontrolled food production and followed by mishandling in distribution or sale or in the purchasers kitchen.

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES NOT REDUCED

2. Increased volumes of products from a single manufacturing source through wider distribution networks and increased mass catering may all lead to more massive contamination and bigger food-borne outbreaks.

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES NOT REDUCED

3. Canning, which generally kills pathogens, has been partially replaced by freezing which may preserve them, resulting in larger numbers of viable organisms in the food supply. 4. The worldwide distribution of food, serves unintentionally to spread food-borne microbes.

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES NOT REDUCED

5. In underdeveloped countries where foods are especially prone to temperature abuse, the growing reliance on pre-processed and street vended meals, enhances the chance of infection similarly increased consumer preference in industrialized nations for fresh undercooked, or raw foods has the same effect.

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES NOT REDUCED

6. There is a lag (often due to expense and procedural delay) in transferring new testing technologies into the regulatory chain. 7.Animal husbandry has been markedly more intensive over the years. As a result microbes can spread more easily from animal to animal and a higher proportion becomes asymptomatic carriers of human enteric pathogens.

FOODBORNE ILLNESSES NOT REDUCED

8.Finally the public is still not sufficiently informed or concerned to be able to distinguish bad from good practices in the food industry and particularly in catering.

COST OF FOODBORNE ILLNESSES

Every year there are about

76 million foodborne illnesses in the US (26,000 /100,000 inhabitants) 2 million in the United Kingdom (3,400/100,000 inhabitants) 750,000 in France (1,210 /100,000 inhabitants).

COST OF FOODBORNE DISEASES

CDC estimates that in 2000 foodborne diseases cause
76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, 5,000 deaths each year.,

USD estimate the costs associated with five major bacterial foodborne pathogens to be $6.9 billion. FDA 2005 estimates the cost of foodborne illness is $10$83 billion annually.

Foodborne illness cause large medical and financial burdens.

The Ugly

FOOD SPOILAGE
Food spoilage causes not only economic loss, but also loss of consumable foods In countries where food production is not efficient, food spoilage can adversely affect the availability of food.

FOOD SPOILAGE

With an increasing world population there is increase significance on food spoilage which with some produce and some countries could reach 25% or more.

PREVALENCE OF UNDERNOURISHMENT
% total population
Country groups Developing Regions Sub-Saharan Africa Latin America and the Caribbean Eastern Asia Eastern Asia (without China) Southern Asia Southern Asia (without India) South-Eastern Asia Western Asia WORLD
1990-1992 1995-1997 2000-2002 2004-2006

20 32 12 15 8 24 24 24 6 16

18 32 11 12 12 21 25 18 9 14

17 30 9 10 13 21 22 18 8 14

16 28 8 10 12 22 22 15 8 13