Food microbiology

Course Description

COURSE CONTENT

• Food poisoning, development of legal regulations trough history in the protection of foods, development of methods for protection of foodstuffs from spoilage, food research, cross-contamination.
• Food spoilage. Classification of food based on microbial degradation. Food failure factors, epidemiology – food-borne diseases.
• Principles of HACCP system. Forensics of food; concept and application. Microbiological food safety: monitoring test – dangers.
• Methods of protecting foodstuffs from microbial degradation. Indicator microorganisms.
• Microbiology of water, milk and dairy products
• Microbiology of meat and meat products, fish, crustaceans and shellfish
• Microbiology of fruits, vegetables, grains and wines.     
• Fermented food trough history. Definition of fermented food. Fermented food obtained naurally and produced in industrial conditions. Comparison of autochtonous and commercial starter cultures in fermented food production. Natural microbial population of traditional fermented foods. Microorganisms, the cause of spoilage of fermented foods.
• Parametes and environmental factors important for the formation of mycotoxins. Mycotoxins and legal regulation. Measures of prevention for control of various souces of mycotoxicological hazards to consumer health. Dangers of consumption of grains, fruits, vegetables, meat products, eggs, milk contaminated with mycotoxins.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• explain the role of microbes in food production
• explain the concept of fermented food and the role of natural microbiota in spontaneous fermentation
• distinguish pathogens from nonpathogenic microbes in foods by isolation and identification procedures
• describe the importance of indicator microbes
• describe the causes of food spoilage and diseases transmitted by contaminated food
• describe the danger of cross contamination and suggest ways of prevention          
• quantify and apply methods for microbiological quality control and food hygiene
• analyze the role of microbial population in production of traditional and industrial fermented products
• identify and eliminate problems that arise during laboratory work
• interpret the results of microbiological safety of selected foods

To enrol in this course, the following courses must be completed:

• Microbiology