Introduction to

FOOD MICROBIOLOGY
Dr. LINU M. SALIM
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
FISHERIES UNIVERSITY

Training: 5 Sep, 2020 @ 09.30 PM (PST)

Supported by: QALH team
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. The Science of Microbiology
3. Food Microbiology - its Origins and Scope
4. Importance of Microorganisms in Foods
5. Microorganisms in Food
1. Bacteria
2. Fungi
3. Yeasts
4. Viruses
6. Factors affecting growth of microorganisms in food
7. Significance of food microbiology
8. Applications of food microbiology
SCIENCE OF MICROBIOLOGY
 Microorganisms are extremely important in our
everyday lives.
 Disease causing
 Maintenance and modification of our
environment.
 Essential role in industry
 Production of food, beverages and antibiotics.
 Body’s ability to mount defenses against
infectious microbes.
WHAT ARE MICROORGANISMS
 Living entities of microscopic size
 Bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, and protozoa
 Present everywhere
FOOD MICROBIOLOGY - ITS ORIGIN AND
SCOPE
Various groups of microorganisms and their associations with food
associations with food
Food - borne disease Food - borne disease

Food spoilage

Food spoilage

Bacteria Moulds Production of single cell protein

Food fermentations

Food fermentations

Production of food additives and enzymes Production of enzymes

Food spoilage Food -borne disease

Yeasts Food fermentations Viruses Identification of food

poisoning bacteria

Production of food additives and enzymes

Failure of dairy fermentations
 IMPORTANCE OF MICROORGANISMS IN FOODS
1. Food borne Diseases
 Many pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, molds and
viruses) can contaminate foods during various stages of
their handling, between production and consumption.
 Consumption of these foods can cause food borne
diseases.
 Food borne diseases can be fatal and may also cause
large economic losses.
 Foods of animal origin are associated, more with food
borne diseases than foods of plant origin.
2 Food Spoilage
 Except sterile foods, all foods harbor
microorganisms.
 Food spoilage stems from the growth of these
microorganisms in food or is due to the action of
microbial enzymes.
 The major concerns are the economic loss and
wastage of food.
 New concepts are being studied to reduce
contamination as well as control the growth of
spoilage microbes in foods.
3. Food Bioprocessing
 Many food grade microorganisms are used to produce
different types of fermented foods using raw materials
from animal and plant sources.
 Consumption of these foods has increased greatly over
the last 15 to 20 years and is expected to increase
further in the future.
 There have been great changes in the production and
availability of these microorganisms to meet the large
demand.
 In addition, novel and better strains are being
developed by using genetic engineering techniques.
4. Food Additives
 Microbial enzymes are used to produce food and food
additives.
 By employing genetic recombination techniques, and
using diverse microbial sources enzymes of higher
purity & activity are obtained.
 Many types of additives from microbial sources are
being developed and used in food.
 Include
essential amino acids, color compounds, flavor
compounds, stabilizers and organic acids.
5. Food Bio preservation
 Antimicrobial metabolites (e.g. bacteriocins and
organic acids like acetic, propionic and lactic acids) of
desirable Microorganisms are being developed and used
in foods in place of preservatives
 To control pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in
food.
 Economic production of these antimicrobial
compounds and their effectiveness in food systems have
generated wide interest.
6.Probiotics
 Probioticsare live microorganisms used as food and
feed supplement
 WHO defines probiotics as "live microorganisms
which when administered in adequate amounts
confer a health benefit on the host.“
 Act generally by improving or restoring the gut
flora
 Mainly bacteria, but certain types of yeasts can also
function as probiotics.
 Broad spectrum probiotics or multi-probiotics —
combine different species in the same product.
 Probiotic food include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut,
tempeh and kimchi.
MICROORGANISMS IN FOOD
1. Bacteria
a)Lactic Acid Bacteria
 Those bacteria that produce relatively large quantities of lactic acid
from carbohydrates.
 Include species mainly from genera Lactococcus, Leuconostoc,
Pediococcus, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus thermophilus.
b)Acetic Acid Bacteria
 Those bacteria that produce acetic acid, such as Acetobacter aceti.
c)Propionic Acid Bacteria
 Those bacteria that produce propionic acid and are used in dairy
fermentation.
 Include species such as Propionibacterium freudenreichii.
d)Butyric Acid Bacteria
 Those bacteria that produce butyric acid in relatively
large amounts. Eg.Clostridium butyricum.
e)Proteolytic Bacteria
 Those bacteria that are capable of hydrolyzing proteins
due to production of extracellular proteinases.
 Eg. Micrococcus, Staphylocccus, Bacillus, Clostridium,
Pseudomonas etc
f)Lipolytic Bacteria
 Able to hydrolyze triglycerides due to production of
extracellular lipases.
 Eg.Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas etc
g)Thermoduric Bacteria
 Able to survive pasteurization temperature.
 Eg. Micrococcus, Enterococcus
h)Halotolerant Bacteria
 Able to survive high salt concentrations
 Eg. Bacillus, Staphylococcus
i)Aciduric Bacteria
 Able to survive at low pH (below 4.0).
 Eg. Lactobacillus, Pediococcus
j)Gas-producing Bacteria
 Produce gas (CO2, H2, H2S) during metabolism of
nutrients.
 Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus and Escherichia.
k)Slime Producers
 Produce slime due to synthesis of polysaccharides.
 Include some species or strains of Xanthomonas,
Leuconostoc
l)Spore formers
 Ability to produce spore.
 Include Bacillus, Clostridium sp.
m)Aerobes
 Require oxygen for growth and multiplication.
 Species of Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and
Flavobacterium are included in this group.
n)Anaerobes
 Cannot grow in the presence of oxygen. Include
species of Clostridium.
0)Facultative Anaerobes
 Able to grow both in the presence and absence of
oxygen.
 Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Leuconostoc
.
p)Coliforms
 Include mainly species from Escherichia, Enterobacter
and Klebsiella
 Used as index of sanitation
q)Fecal Coliforms
 Include mainly Escherichia coli.
 Also used as index of sanitation
r) Enteric Pathogens
 Include pathogenic Salmonella, Shigella,
Campylobacter, Yersinia, Escherichia, Vibrio etc
 Cause gastrointestinal infection.
2. Fungi
a) Aspergillus
 They are widely distributed and contain many
species that are important in food.
 Many are xerophilic (able to grow in low Aw) and
can grow in grains, causing spoilage.
 Spoilage of foods such as jams, nuts and fruits and
vegetables
 Some species produce mycotoxin (e.g., Aspergillus
flavus produces aflatoxin).
 Many species/strains are also used in food and
food additive processing
b) Alternaria:
 They are also septate and form dark-brown
colored conidia on the conidiophere.
 They cause rot in tomatoes and rancid flavor in
dairy products.
c) Geotrichum:
 The hyphae are septate and form rectangular
asexual arthrospores
 They establish easily in equipment and often
grow on dairy products (also known as dairy
mold).
d)Mucor
 They have non septate hyphae and produce
sporangiophores.
 Some species are used in food fermentation and
production of enzymes.
 They cause spoilage of vegetables.
e) Penicillium
 They have septate hyphae and form
conidiophore on a blue green, brush like conidia
head.
 Some species are used in food production, such
as Penicillium roquefortii and Penicillium
camembertii in cheese.
 Many species cause fungal rot in fruits and
vegetables.
f ) Rhizopus
 The hyphae are aseptate and form
sporangiophores in sporangium.
 They are involved in the spoilage of many fruits
and vegetables.
 Rhizopus stolonifer is the common black bread
mold.
3. Yeast
a) Saccharomyces
 Cells are round, oval, or elongated.
 It is the most important genus and contains
heterogeneous groups.
 Saccharomyces cerevisiae variants are used in
baking for leavening of bread and in alcoholic
fermentation.
 They are also involved in spoilage of food with
the production of alcohol and CO2.
b)Rhodotorula

 They are pigment (red, pink or yellow)

forming yeasts and can cause
discoloration of foods, such as in meat,
fish, and sauerkraut.
 Species Rhodotorula glutinis.
c) Torulopsis
 They have spherical to oval structure.
 They cause spoilage of milk due to the
ability to ferment lactose (Torulopsis
sphaerica).
 They also spoil fruit juice concentrates and
acid foods.
d) Candida
 Many spoil foods with high acid, salt, and sugar
and form pellicle on the surface of liquids.
 Some can cause rancidity in butter and dairy
products (Candida lipolytica).
e) Zygosaccharomyces
 Involved in spoilage of foods, containing high
sugar/ salt levels ex. honey, sirups, molasses, soy
sauce. (Zygosaccharomyces nussbaumeri).
 They can grow in high concentrations of solutes.
4. Viruses
 Hepatitis A and Norwalk viruses have been
implicated in food borne outbreaks.
 Several other enteric viruses, such as Poliovirus,
Echovirus, and Coxsackievirus, have the
potential of causing food borne diseases.
FACTORS AFFECTING GROWTH OF MICROORGANISMS IN
FOOD
 Intrinsic factors
1. pH
2. Water activity
3. Redox potential
4. Composition of nutrients
5. Inhibitory substances
6. Biological structures
 Extrinsic factors
1. Relative humidity
2. Temperature
3. Atmospheric gases
4. Other microbial flora
SIGNIFICANCE
 Food borne diseases of microbial origin
 Microbial food spoilage
 Beneficial uses of microbes in food
 Control of microbial growth in foods
 Destruction of microbes in foods
 Microbial food fermentation
 Probiotic bacteria
 Regulatory aspects to ensure consumers related
to Microbial hazards in food.
APPLICATIONS
 Itprovides us with information about different
types of microorganisms
 Microorganisms as food
 Microorganisms are used in production of a large
number of fermented foods
 Microbiology very useful in preservation of food
 Microbial diseases
 Industrial Microbiology
 Energy from microbial sources
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