Micobes and food

There is an important association between microbes and food. Some microbes are essential for the production of food and beverages, whereas others can destroy crops and cause disease by contaminating the food chain. This is the study of microorganism that inhabits, create and contaminate the food. It even deals with the study about the microorganisms that cause the spoilage of food and  Probiotics is one of the most important aspects of food science.

Prevention of Contamination

Prevention of Contamination important to avoid the contamination of meat and poultry whenever possible. This includes inadvertent contamination or cross-contamination from the live animal, processing procedures and equipment, employees, and the environment. Contamination can be minimized or avoided altogether by following appropriate sanitation procedures, good manufacturing procedures (GMPs), and procedures for employee hygiene

Food Poisoning

Human illnesses caused by foodborne microorganisms are popularly referred to as food poisoning. The common use of a single classification is due primarily to similarities of symptoms of various food-related diseases (see Table 5). Apart from illness due to food allergy or food sensitivity, foodborne illness may be divided into two major classes, food infection and food intoxication. Food infection results when foods contaminated with pathogenic, invasive, food poisoning bacteria are eaten. These bacteria then proliferate in the human body and eventually cause illness. Food intoxication follows the ingestion of preformed toxic substances which accumulate during the growth of certain bacterial types in foods.

The period of time between the consumption of contaminated foods and the appearance of illness is called the incubation period. The incubation period can range anywhere from less than one hour to more than three days, depending on the causative organisms or the toxic product.

Table 5. Characteristics of the important bacterial food intoxications and foodborne infections. (NAS-NRC, 1975)*

Disease	Etiologic Agent	Incubation Period	Symptons
Botulism	Clostridium botulinum A.B.E.F toxin	Usually 1 to 2 days; range 12 hours to more than 1 week	Difficulty in swalling, double vision, difficulty in speech. Occasionally nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in early stages. Constipation and subnormal temperature. Respiration becomes difficult, often followed by death from paralysis of muscles of respiration.
Staphylococcal food poisoning	Staphyloccal enterotoxin	1 to 6 hours; average 3 hours	Nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and acute prostration. Temperature subnormal during acute attack, may be elevated later. Rapid recovery-usually within 1 day.
Salmonellosis	Specific infection by Salmonellaspp.	Average about 18 hours; range 7 to 72 hours	Abdominal pains, diarrhea, chills, fever, frequent vomiting, prostration. Duration of illness: 1 day to 1 week.
Shigellosis (bacillary dysentery)	Shigella sonnei, s. flexneri, s. dysenteriae, s. boydii	Usually 24 to 48 hours; range 7 to 48 hours	Abdominal cramps, fever, chills, diarrhea, watery stool (frequently containing blood, mucus, or pus), spasm, headache, nausea, dehydration, prostration. Duration: a few days.
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coliinfection	Escherichia coliserotypes associated with infant and adult infections	Usually 10 to 12 hours; range 5 to 48 hours	Headache, malaise, fever, chills, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain. Duration: a few days.
Clostridium perfringens food poisoning	Clostridium perfringens	Usually 10 to 12 hours; range 8 to 22 hours	Abdominal cramps and diarrhea, nausea, and malaise, vomiting very rare. Meat and poultry products usually involved. Rapid Recovery.
Bacillus cereusfood poisoning	Bacillus cereus	Usually about 12 hours; range about 8 to 16 hours	Similar to Clostridium perfringens poisoning
Vibrio Parahaemolyticusfood poisoning	Vibrio Parahaemolyticus	Usually 12 to 14 hours; range 2 to 48 hours	Abdominal pain, server watery diarrhea, usually nausea and vomiting, mild fever, chills and headache. Duration: 2 to 5 days.