Food Microbiology: Prepared by Samira Fattah Assis. Lec. College of Health sciences-HMU

Lecture 2
Food microbiology
Prepared by
Samira fattah
Assis. Lec.
College of health sciences-HMU
Introduction
• Food supply consists basically of plants
and animals or product derived from
them.
• it is understandable that our food supply

can contain microorganism in interaction
with food.
• These microorganisms use food supply as

a source of nutrients for their own
growth.
These will cause 2 possibilities:
• Either – Result in deterioration of food
(“spoil”)
• OR These interactions between
microorganisms and food give beneficial to
human.
Example
• Two species of Penicillium fungus
are named after cheeses.
• One of them is P. roqueforti, gives
blue cheeses (like Roquefort).
• Cheesemakers add P. roqueforti to

the milk, so it's present throughout
the cheese.
• The blue mold grows and produce
the beautiful blue veins that
characterize these cheeses.
How microorganisms can cause
deterioration of the food?
• When they utilize the nutrients of the food, it
involved changes in the food compound like:
• synthesis a new compound that cause spoiling of the

food.
or
• produced enzymatic changes and contributing off-
flavours by mean of breakdown of product.
What are the importance of
microorganisms in food?
Good (desirable) Bad (undesirable)
Food bioprocessing Foodborne disease
Food biopreservation Food spoilage
Probiotics
GOOD (DESIRABLE)
• Food bioprocessing
means: Foods produce by using biological process.
• In this process, food-grade microorganisms are used to
produce different types of fermented food using raw
materials from animal and plant sources (this process known
as “starter culture”).
• Besides, microbial enzymes are also being used to produce
food and food additives.
Starter culture
A concentrated preparation of
live cells that is added to
raw material to initiate
fermentation rapidly.
• Food biopreservation
Is a food biological preservative by using
antimicrobial metabolites (taken from certain
microorganisms in order to control pathogenic
and spoilage microorganisms in foods)
• In biopreservation, beneficial bacteria are used to prevent food
spoilage and get rid of harmful pathogens.
• Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most commonly used due to their
unique properties and because they are harmless to humans.
• LABs release antimicrobials( such as lactic and acetic acid,

hydrogen peroxide, and peptide bacteriocins) that stop spoilage and
inhibit the growth of potentially harmful pathogens.
• Probiotics
Is a concentrated supplement of beneficial live cells of bacteria
(friendly bacteria) culture taken orally intended to improve
our health by promoting our body’s natural immunity and
improving digestion system.
The example of probiotics in food
• Milk- baby nowadays is added with
Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidus bacteria.
• Yogurt- rich with live bacteria culture such as

Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus
thermophillus.
• Cheese- friendly bacteria that is added in

cheese is Lactobacillus.
• BAD (UNDESIRABLE)
• Foodborne disease
Is a disease cause by consumption of contaminate during
various stage of handling between production and
consumption by many pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria,
molds and viruses).
• Food spoilage.
is a condition of contaminate food due to:
growth of microorganisms in food
OR
The action of microbial heat stable enzymes
-Spoilage leads to wastage of food and economic loss.

Factors influencing growth of
microorganisms in foods
(a) Intrinsic factors:
These are inherent in the food. They include:
o Hydrogen ion concentration (pH),
o moisture content,
o nutrient content of the food,
o antimicrobial substances
o biological structure
1. Hydrogen ion concentration (PH)
• Most bacteria grow best at neutral or weakly alkaline pH
usually between 6.8 and 7.5.
• Other microorganisms especially yeasts and molds and some

bacteria grow within a wide pH range, e.g. molds grow
between 1.5 to 11.0, while yeasts grow between 1.5 and 8.5.
Table : pH values of some food products
Food type Range of pH values

Beef 5.1 - 6.2
Chicken 6.2 – 6.4
Milk 6.3 – 6.8
Cheese 4.9 - 5.9
Fish 6.6 - 6.8
Oyster 4.8 - 6.3
Fruits < 4.5 (most < 3.5)
Vegetables 3.0 – 6.1
• Microorganisms that are able to grow in acid environment are
called acidophilic microorganisms.
• These microorganisms are able to grow at pH of around 2.0.
• Yeasts and molds grow under acid conditions.
• Other microorganisms such as vibrio cholerae are sensitive to

acids and prefer alkaline conditions.
• Most bacteria are killed in strong acid or strong alkaline

environment except Mycobacteria.
2. Moisture content
• The effect of moisture is in terms of water activity,

the amount of free water in a food medium.
• The amount of free water is important for growth of
microorganisms.
• If there is lack of this free water microorganisms will
not grow.
3. Nutrients content of the food
• Microorganisms require proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, water,
energy, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, vitamins, and minerals
for growth.
•
• Various foods have specific nutrients that help in microbial
growth.
• Foods such as milk, meat and eggs contain a number of

nutrients that are required by microorganisms.
• These foods are hence susceptible to microbial spoilage.

Antimicrobial substances
• Antimicrobial substances in food inhibit microbial growth.
• Various foods have inherent antimicrobial substances that

prevent (inhibit) microbial attack.
• Such inhibitors are like lactinin and anti-coliform factors in

milk and egg-white lysozyme in eggs.
Biological structures
• Some foods have biological structures that prevent microbial
entry.
• For example, meat has fascia, skin and other membranes that
prevent microbial entry.
• Eggs have shell and inner membranes that prevent yolk and
egg white from infection.
(b). Extrinsic factors
• Are factors external to the food that affect microbial
growth. They include:
o Temperature of storage,
o Presence and concentration of gases in the environment
o Relative humidity of food storage environment.
1. Temperature
• The growth of microorganisms is affected by the envirnmental
temperatures.
• Various microorganisms are able to grow at certain

temperatures and not others.
• microorgansms can therefore be divided into the following

groups depending upon their optimum temperature of
growth.
(i). Psychrophilic
• These grow best at about 20oC but also down to -10oC in
unfrozen media.
• Psychrophilic bacteria can cause food spoilage at low
temperatures.
• Several of the microorganisms found in the soil and water
belong to this group.
• Bacteria of the genera
- Achromobacter, Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Micrococcus are
psychrophiles
- moulds of the genara Penicillium,Cladosporium and Mucor are
psychrophiles.
(ii). Mesophilic
• These organisms grow between 25oC and 40oC, with an

optimum growth temperature close to 37oC .
• None of the mesophilic bacteria are able to grow below 5oC

or above 45oC.
•
• Most pathogenic bacteria belong to this group.
(iii). Thermophilic
• These grow at temperatures above 45oC.
• Often their optimum growth temperatures is between 50oC
and 70oC.
• Growth of some bacteria occur at 80oC.
• Bacteria in this group are mainly spore formers and are of

importance in the food industry especially in processed foods.
• Bacillus stearothermophilus can survive ultra-high-

temperature treatment (UHT)of milk(135oC for 2 seconds).
2. Concentration of gases in the
environment
• This relates to the presence and concentration of gases in the
food environment.
• Various microorganisms require for growth, either high
oxygen tension (aerobic), low oxygen tension(microaerobic) or
absence of oxygen (anaerobic).
• Some microorganisms may grow either in high oxygen
tension, or in the absence of oxygen (facultative anaerobes).
Microorganisms can be grouped into categories based
on their requirement to oxygen:
1) Aerobes
• Grow in the presence of air that contains molecular oxygen.
• Obligate aerobes require oxygen for growth and carry out aerobic
respiration.
2) Microaerophiles
• Grow only at reduced concentrations of molecular oxygen - 5%
3) Facultative anaerobes
• Can grow in the presence or absence of air. If oxygen is not available, they
will carry out anaerobic respiration.
4) Anaerobes
• Do not require oxygen for growth, therefore grow only in the absence of
air.
• Strict anaerobes are sensitive to oxygen and even to a brief exposure to
oxygen will kill such organisms e.g. Clostridium spp
3. Relative humidity
• Relative humidiy is the amount of moisture in the atmosphere
or food environment.
• Foods with low water activity placed at high humidity

environment take up water, increase their water activity and
get spoiled easily.
• For example, dry grains stored in a environment with high

humidity will take up water and undergo mold spoilage.

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Lecture 2

• it is understandable that our food supply

• These microorganisms use food supply as

• Cheesemakers add P. roqueforti to

• synthesis a new compound that cause spoiling of the

Food bioprocessing Foodborne disease

Food biopreservation Food spoilage

• LABs release antimicrobials( such as lactic and acetic acid,

• Yogurt- rich with live bacteria culture such as

• Cheese- friendly bacteria that is added in

-Spoilage leads to wastage of food and economic loss.

• Other microorganisms especially yeasts and molds and some

Food type Range of pH values

• These microorganisms are able to grow at pH of around 2.0.

• Yeasts and molds grow under acid conditions.

• Other microorganisms such as vibrio cholerae are sensitive to

• Most bacteria are killed in strong acid or strong alkaline

• The effect of moisture is in terms of water activity,

• Foods such as milk, meat and eggs contain a number of

• These foods are hence susceptible to microbial spoilage.

• Various foods have inherent antimicrobial substances that

• Such inhibitors are like lactinin and anti-coliform factors in

• Various microorganisms are able to grow at certain

• microorgansms can therefore be divided into the following

• These organisms grow between 25oC and 40oC, with an

• None of the mesophilic bacteria are able to grow below 5oC

• Bacteria in this group are mainly spore formers and are of

• Bacillus stearothermophilus can survive ultra-high-

• Foods with low water activity placed at high humidity

• For example, dry grains stored in a environment with high

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