The document discusses food microbiology and methods for detecting microbes in food. It describes how microorganisms are introduced to foods and both their beneficial roles in fermentation and spoilage when conditions allow undesirable growth. Detection methods discussed include plate counts, membrane filtration, and microscopic analysis. Intrinsic food factors like pH, water activity, and natural antimicrobials and extrinsic storage conditions like temperature and atmosphere that influence microbial growth are also summarized.
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Food microbes
1. Food Microbes &
Detection Methods
Dr. Daxaben N. Mehta
Principal
Smt. S.C.U.Shah Home Science and
C.U.Shah Arts & Commerce
Mahila College, Wadhwancity
District : Surendranagar
e.mail: dnmehta.hsc@gmail.com
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2. Food Microbiology
• food is an ecosystem
and microorganisms
play a key role in the
stability of that
ecosystem
• microorganisms are
introduced to the food
ecosystem from the
soil, harvesting,
handling, storage, and
packaging
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3. Food Microbiology
• fermentation: good food
microbiology
food that have been
intentionally altered such
as sour cream, cheese,
beer
any desirable change a
microorganism makes to
food
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4. Food Microbiology
• spoilage: bad food
microbiology
undesirable changes to
food; sour milk, moldy
bread
preservatives and
refrigeration inhibit the
growth of
microorganisms
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Moldy Spam MICROBES
FOOD
9. Composition and pH
• proteolysis and anaerobic breakdown of
proteins, yielding foul-smelling amine
compounds
• pH impacts make up of microbial
community and therefore types of
chemical reactions that occur when
microbes grow in food
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11. Intrinsic Growth Factors
• pH
many species of bacteria are inhibited by
low pH, including most pathogens
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Testing soil pH
12. Intrinsic growth factors:
naturally present in food
• water availability is measured as water
activity (aw), the amount available in the
food
• most microorganisms require an aw of
0.90 or above for growth
• fungi can grow with a aw of 0.80
• fresh food have an aw 0.98
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13. Water availability
• in general, lower water activity inhibits
microbial growth
• water activity lowered by:
drying
addition of salt or sugar
• osmophilic microorganisms
prefer high osmotic pressure
• xerophilic microorganisms
prefer low water activity
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14. Intrinsic Growth Factors
• biological barriers:
• shells, rinds protect foods
from invading
microorganisms
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• antimicrobial chemicals:
naturally occurring in some
foods egg whites have
lysozyme which will
destroy lysozyme
susceptible bacteria
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15. Physical structure
• grinding and mixing increase surface area
and distribute microbes
promotes microbial growth
• outer skin of vegetables and fruits slows
microbial growth
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16. Antimicrobial
substances
• coumarins – fruits and vegetables
• lysozyme – cow’s milk and eggs
• aldehydic and phenolic compounds –
herbs and spices
• allicin – garlic
• polyphenols – green and black teas
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17. Extrinsic Factors:
environmental conditions
• temperature of storage
below freezing water is unavailable for
microorganisms
low temperatures (above freezing) enzyme
reactions are non-existent or slow
refrigerated food microbial growth is likely
psychrophiles
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18. Microorganisms in
Food Production
• using microorganisms for food production
has been done for thousands of years
cheese, yeast, beer
• microorganisms used in food often
produce an acidic by-product as a result
of metabolism
• can inhibit growth of many spoilage
microorganisms
• can inhibit growth of many foodborne pathogens
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Yeast cells
19. Food Spoilage:
undesirable changes
in food
• smell bad, taste bad, look bad
• probably are not harmful
• microorganisms that cause food spoilage
compete with pathogens
in the case of food spoilage vs. pathogens,
the spoilers are winning
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20. Foodborne Intoxication
• illness from microbial exotoxin
microorganism does not cause the illness,
the toxin released by the microorganism
does
• common exotoxin producing
microorganisms
Staphylococcus aureus
Clostridium botulinum
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21. Foodborne Infection
• requires consumption of microorganism
• symptomatic about 1 day following ingestion
of contaminated food
• common foodborne infecting
• microorganisms
Salmonella and Campylobacter
• poultry product infections
Escherichia coli 0157:H7
• undercooked hamburger
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Campylobacter
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Salmonella
22. Food Preservation:
preventing growth and metabolic
activities of microorganisms
• spices, salting, drying are methods that have
been around for years
• most common methods of current food
preservation are
high temperature treatment
low-temperature storage
antimicrobial chemicals
irradiation SCIENCE
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23. Extrinsic Factors
• atmosphere: presence or absence
of O2
obligate aerobes (need O2) won’t
grow in sealed containers
• may allow growth of
anaerobic microbes
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24. Extrinsic Factors
• temperature
lower temperatures retard microbial growth
• relative humidity
higher levels promote microbial growth
• Atmosphere oxygen promotes growth
modified atmosphere packaging (MAP)
• use of shrink wrap and vacuum
technologies to package food in
controlled atmospheres
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25. Microbial Growth
and Food Spoilage
• food spoilage
results from growth of microbes in food
• alters food visibly and in other ways,
rendering it unsuitable for consumption
involves predictable succession of microbes
different foods undergo different types of
spoilage processes
toxins are sometimes produced
• algal toxins may contaminate shellfish and
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finfish SCIENCE
26. Microbiological
Examination of Foods
Traditional method
• Plate counts
• Membrane filtration
• Most probable
number
• Direct microscopic
count
• Dye reduction tests
• Indicator
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Rapid Method
Direct
epifluorescent
filter technique
(DEFT)
Electrical
impedance
Enzyme-linked
immunosorbent
assay(ELISA)
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27. Plate count method
Standard plate count (SPC)
Aerobic plate count (APC)
Total bacteria count (TBC)
Total viable count (TVC)
“Live”
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28. Plate count method
• Diluent
• 0.85%NaCl
• 0.1% peptone
• Phosphate buffer
• Medium
• Elective medium
•Pour plate
• Selective medium
•Spread plate
• General
•Drop plate
• Petri dish plate Replication
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37. •
•
•
•
Application of
plate count
Check quality of RM & final products
Check condition hygiene
Estimate storage life of products
Determine
Production
Transport
Storage
• Determine pathogens
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38. Selection of media in
food microbiology
Medium
Plate count agar
Use
Aerobic mesophilic
count
MacConkey broth
MPN of coliforms in
water
Brilliant green/Lactose/Bile
MPN of coliforms in
broth
food
Baird Parker agar
Staphylococcus
aureus
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FOOD Vibrio
Thiosulfate/Bile/Citrate/agar MICROBES sp.
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41. Most probable number
Most probable number (MPN)
Multiple tube techniques
• Pathogen
Number too low
•
•
•
•
Coliform
Escherichia coli
Staphylococcus aureus
Feacal streptococci
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42. Most probable number
Medium
Organisms assessed
Lauryl sulfate tryptose broth
Coliforms
MacConkey purple broth
Coliforms
EC broth
Faecal coliform
Glucose azide
Faecal streptococci
Minerals modified
glutamate medium
Baird-Parker broth
Coliforms
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Staphylococcus
aureus
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43. Microscopic count
Direct microscopic count (DMCs)
Small sample (0.01 ml) & rapid
Optical light microscope
Ex.
Total cell
living & dead cells
Foods
Liquid
Semi-solid
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•Milk
•Wine
•Yogurt starter
•Tomato sauce
•Howard mold
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48. Microbe Identification
• The successful identification of microbe depends on:
Using the proper aseptic techniques.
Correctly obtaining the specimen.
Correctly handling the specimen
Quickly transporting the specimen to the lab.
Once the specimen reaches the lab it is cultured
and identified
Use care and tact to avoid patient harm
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49. Microbe Identification
• Identification measures include:
♣ Microscopy (staining)
♣ growth on enrichment, selective, differential or
characteristic media
♣ specimen biochemical test (rapid test methods)
♣ immunological techniques
♣ molecular (genotypic) methods.
• After the microbe is identified for clinical samples it is
used in susceptibility tests to find which method of
control is most effective.
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51. Staining Reactions
The presence of certain structures and staining
reactions aids in their identification and
classification
1) To render microscopic and semitransparent
objects visible
2) To reveal their shape and size
3) To produce specific physical or chemical
reactions
4) To produce specific physical or chemical
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reactions.SCIENCE
52. Staining Reactions
• Simple staining bring out the morphology the best
• Differential and special stains are necessary to bring
out characteristics like flagella, capsules, spores and
metachromatic granules.
• Gram stain divides bacteria into Gram positive and
Gram negative
• Ziehl-Neelsen stain divides them into acid fast and
non acid fast
• Fluorescent dyes bring out special characteristics and
fluorescent antibody technique enables to identify
them.
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53. Cultural Characteristics
• Provides additional information for the
identification of the bacterium. The
characters revealed in different types of
media are noted.
• While studying colonies on solid media
following characteristics are observed :
Size, Shape, Margins, Surface, Their
elevations,
Edge,
colour,
structure,
consistency.
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54. Cultural Characteristics
• In fluid medium following characteristics are
observed :
Degree of growth – Absence, scanty, moderate,
abundant etc.
presence of turbidity and its nature
presence of deposit and its character
Nature of surface growth
Ease of disintegration and odour
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57. Resistance
The resistance of the organism is tested
against number of parameters which helps
differentiation and identification of the
organisms
- Heat
- Low concentration of disinfectants
- Antibiotics
- Chemotherapeutic agents
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- Bacteriocins etc.
58. Metabolism
• To classify and differentiate species following
aspects are studied
- Requirements of oxygen
- The need for CO2
- Capacity to form pigments
- power of haemolysis
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59. Biochemical properties
• Tests for Metabolism of Carbohydrates and
related compounds
• Tests for Metabolism of Proteins and Amino
acids
• Test for metabolism of Lipids
• Tests for Enzymes
• Combined Tests
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60. Biochemical properties
Tests for Metabolism of Carbohydrates and related
compounds
•
Tests to distinguish b/w aerobic and anaerobic
breakdown of carbohydrates
- O/F test depends upon the use of a semi-solid
tubed medium containing the carbohydrate
(usually glucose) along with the pH indicator
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61. Biochemical properties
•
Tests to show the range of carbohydrates
and related compounds that can be attacked
- A large variety of carbohydrate compounds
are used and they are often regarded as
‘sugars’
Sugar fermentation – Acid production
Litmus milk – Acid or alkali production, clot
formation, peptonisation or saponification.
Disruption of clot due to gas production.
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62. Biochemical properties
Stormy Fermentation
of Litmus Milk.
The tube on the left
shows
fermentation;
the tube on the right is
negative for stormy
fermentation.
Used
for
the
identification
of
Clostridium species.
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64. Biochemical properties
Tests for Metabolism of Carbohydrates and
related compounds
• Tests for specific breakdown products
- Methyl red test – To detect Acid production
during Glucose fermentation.
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65. Biochemical properties
- Voges-Proskauer test – Depends on the
production of acetyle methylcarbional from
pyruvic acid, as an intermediate stage in its
conversion to 2:3 butylene glycol.
• Tests to show ability to utilize particular
substrate
Citrate utilization – Ability to use citrate as a
sole source of carbon and Ammonia as a sole
source of Nitrogen.
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68. Biochemical properties
• KCN test – Ability to
grow in a medium
containing
KCN.
(Should be handled
carefully)
• Detection of motility
- Slide test (Hanging
drop technique)
-Tube test ( Semisolid
Agar) HOME SCIENCE
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70. API Strips - Rapid Tests
Commercial
miniaturized
biochemical test panels - Cover a
significant number of clinicallyimportant groups of bacteria, as
well as food- and waterassociated microorganisms.
The earliest, is the Analytical
Profile Index (API) panel.
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71. API Strips - Rapid Tests
Different
test
panels
are
prepared in dehydrated forms
which are reconstituted upon
use by addition of bacterial
suspensions. After incubation,
positive test results are scored
as
a
seven-digit
number
(profile).
Identity
of
the
bacterium is then easily derived
from the database with the
relevant cumulative profile code
book or software.
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72. API Strips - Rapid Tests
Identification
of
Enterobacteriaceae
using API 20E, a
standardized
microplate
method.
Positive and negative
reactions are shown by
color reactions.
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