Wine Making
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The role and challenges of the microbiologist in the foodservice industry
   
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Principles Of The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet has been around since around 1995, when fatty
acids research scientist Dr. Barry Sears published the New York
Times bestseller "The Zone". This book was aimed .....
The Zone Diet has been around since around 1995, when fatty
acids research scientist Dr. Barry Sears published the New York
Times bestseller "The Zone". This book was aimed .....
The study of microorganisms is called microbiology and persons
or scientists who study microorganisms are called
microbiologists.. Microorganisms are very small organisms and
include algae, bacteria, molds, protozoa, yeast and viruses.
These organisms are not visible to the naked eye and constitute
by far the largest group of living organisms existing on earth.
It has been estimated that 6.5 to 33 million people become from
ill microorganisms in food and an estimated 9,000 of these
individuals die in the United States.
Unknowingly, man has made use of microorganisms since the
seventeenth century, mostly in the production of food and drinks
such as leavening of bread, souring of milk and making of beer
and wine.
Microbiologists study and investigate microorganisms and their
relationship with man, animals and plants. Some of the
sub-categories of microbiologists include the following: (i)
Food microbiologists focus on food pathogens and food spoilage
organisms as well as microorganisms in food production, i.e.
fermented foods. (ii) Industrial microbiologist work with
industries producing products such as alcoholic beverages, amino
acids, citric acids, vitamin C and antibiotics. (iii) General
microbiologists focus on the fundamental and basic features of
microorganisms ecology, metabolism, genetics, physiology,
morphology and anatomy. (iv) Agricultural microbiologists study
plant diseases, the role of microorganisms in soil fertility and
There's More To Burton On Trent Than Just Beer! - Part 1
There's more to Burton on Trent than just beer! - Part 1
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spoilage of farm products. (v) Medical microbiologists study theThere's more to Burton on Trent than just beer! - Part 1
Many people around the world will automatically associate the town .....
role of microorganisms in inflicting diseases in humans and
animals. They research and investigate these organisms to find
ways to cure and prevent the occurrence of diseases. (vi) Marine
microbiologists deal with microorganisms present in the ocean.
This is a relatively new area of microbiology.
Fruit Wine Making
Fruit Wine Making: Using Kits Or Fresh Fruits Is A Matter Of Personal Choice
Control The Acidity Of The Wine To Ensure It Is Neither Too Acidic Or Too Flat And .....
Throughout the world, food production and hence the role of theFruit Wine Making: Using Kits Or Fresh Fruits Is A Matter Of Personal Choice
Control The Acidity Of The Wine To Ensure It Is Neither Too Acidic Or Too Flat And .....
microbiologist has become more complex. Raw materials are
frequently sourced globally and food is processed through an
increasing variety of techniques. Therefore approaches to safe
food production are being assessed on an expanding platform from
national, European, transatlantic and beyond.
The role of the food microbiologist in addition to keeping
abreast of new technological changes in production methods and
in methods of microbiological analysis involves: (i) To monitor
the effect of processing changes (pH, temperature, etc.) on
microbial load. (ii) To determine the dominant foodborne
microorganisms in different types of food. (iii) To detect
different microorganisms using reliable and consistent methods.
(iv) To establish reliable and consistent microbiological
criteria as a numerical means of interpreting end-product
testing. Microbiological criteria are implemented by
microbiologists in food processing plants based on total counts,
or numbers of certain indicator organisms or presence or absence
of certain pathogens. The main concern with indicator organisms
is what kind of indicator should be considered meaningful in a
particular food and in what numbers? The relationship of an
indicator to a pathogen is not well defined under all
conditions. This makes the role of microbiologist very
challenging. (v) Use predictive microbiology as a research tool
to understand the consequences of processing changes. (vi) To
implement and improve the role of Hazard Analysis Critical
Control Point in food processing. (vii) To implement the
objectives of microbial risks assessment. (viii) To implement
food safety objectives in food processing.
Food microbiologists strive to achieve the following: (i) Food
that is safe and does not pose a public health risk. (ii) The
food products are made of ingredients and materials that are
high quality and have not undergone deterioration or
contamination during processing, packaging, storing, shipping
and marketing. (iii) The food will have the keeping quality that
can be reasonably expected of that product.
Microbial quality and safety of foods are some of the primary
concerns of food microbiologists. Nine areas have been
identified by food microbiologists as requiring monitoring
within foodservice and related operations.
(i) Food procurement. The wholesomeness and safe source of food
are basic to the protection of the consumer from a public health
point of view, particularly of food considered potentially
hazardous. A potentially hazardous food may be defined as any
food that consists in whole or in part of milk or milk products,
eggs, poultry, fish, shellfish, crustacean or other ingredients
including synthetic ingredients in a form capable of supporting
rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic
microorganisms. This definition does not apply to foods with a
pH of 4.6 or a water activity value of 0.85 or less. (ii) Food
storage. Storage facilities should be kept in excellent repair
and immaculately clean. Dry storage rooms should be at a
temperature of 10-21 C and well ventilated. A relative humidity
of 50-60% is satisfactory. Frozen foods should be stored at a
temperature of -18 C or below in order to maintain the culinary
quality. Chilled foods should be stored at a temperature of 2-4
C, meat and poultry at a temperature of -1-2 C, fish at a
temperature of -1 C and fruits and vegetables at a temperature
of 1.7-7.2 C. (iii) Food packaging. Proper packaging protects
food from contamination and unwanted changes in texture and
facilitates handling and storage. (iv) Preprocessing. This stage
occurs before the processing of food items. Cross-contamination
from raw to processed items is a danger that must be eliminated
by all control methods. (v) Heat processing. This is a
production activity designed to destroy and to kill most if not
all pathogenic organisms. The Food Service Sanitation Manual of
the United States Food and Drugs Administration states that
potentially hazardous food requiring cooking shall be cooked to
heat all parts of the food to a temperature of at least 60 C.
(vi) Food storage following heat processing. In conventional
systems food storage may be hot hold, chilled storage or freezer
storage. (vii) Heat processing of precooked menu items.
Precooked food items that are chilled or frozen, should be
heated fast to an internal temperature of 74 C. This rapid
heating would serve to significantly reduce Clostridia and
Staphylococci. (viii) Food product distribution. Food prepared
at their place of manufacture must be properly transported at
the right temperature to places of services which may be quite
distant. Chilled foods should be maintained at 7.2 C or below.
Hot foods should be maintained at 60 C or above. Frozen food
should be maintained at -18 C or below. (ix) Food service. At
the food service centre, contamination and temperature must be
carefully monitored.
Food microbiologists have several areas of concern that require
further research. (i) Investigating the effects of alternate
methods of food procurement, storage, preparation and service
upon the microbial, nutritional and sensory quality of selected
menu items in foodservice operations. (ii) Determining the
effects of innovative materials handling techniques in each type
of foodservice system upon the growth and survival of pathogenic
microorganisms of public health significance. (iii) Formulating
procedures to be used as managerial tools for decision making
about preparing and serving quality menu items within the
foodservice system. (iv) Identifying factors within the physical
environment of the foodservice system that directly affect food
quality and safety and correlate the effect of the relationships
among these influential factors with food quality. (v)
Determining methods through which the systematic control of food
quality and safety can be achieved by automated and computerized
methods.
References Health People 2000 Status Report Food Safety
Objectives, 2000. Longree, K. Quantity Food Sanitation. John
Wiley & Sons, 1980. Pattron, D.D. Food
About the author:
Dr Pattron is a Public Health Scientist in the Ministry of
Health, Trinidad.