Food is a very important part of all living things. We get our food from different sources. Microbiology is the study of microorganisms known to affect the animals and humans around us. While some microorganisms are also useful in nature and can be used in food preparation, many of them are inherently harmful and are a leading cause of death worldwide. Food microbiology is therefore a hybrid of food and microbiology, in which we learn about the effects of microbes on the food we eat. food microbiology that studies what spoils.
History:
Before thoroughly understanding what food microbiology is, we will learn about the history of food microbiology and the role of food as a substrate for microorganisms. While it is difficult to determine the exact beginning of human understanding of the presence and role of microorganisms in food, available evidence suggests that this data marks the establishment of food microbiology.
The spoilage of prepared foods can be seen around 6000 BC. Around 5000 BC, the practice of making pottery spread from the Middle East to Western Europe. Primary boiler pots are thought to have originated in the Middle East around 8,000 years ago. The humanities of grain cooking, brewing, and food storage either began at this point or were stimulated by this new development. Primary evidence of beer making dates back to ancient Babylonia in 7000 BC. The Sumerians around 3000 B.C.E. are thought to have been the master cattle breeders and dairy farmers, and were among the first to make butter. Bacon, fish, fat, dried skins, wheat and barley are also associated with this culture.
Origin of Fungi and Bacteria:
There are various types of microorganisms in food. Food is the substrate for microbes, helping them grow.
- Soil and Water: Soil and water are the main sources of bacteria and fungi in food. Under the action of the wind, soil organisms can enter the air and then into bodies of water when it rains. When rainwater flows through the soil and into bodies of water, they also get into the water. Aquatic organisms are usually deposited into the soil by cloud formation and subsequent rainfall.
- Plants and plant products: Assume that many or most soil and water organisms contaminate plants. However, relatively few people feel that the factory environment is suitable for their overall health.
- Food Utensils: When vegetables are harvested in containers and utensils, one would expect to look for surfaces that come into contact with contaminants. As more and more vegetables were placed in the same container, the microbiome was expected to normalize.
- Gastrointestinal: When contaminated water is used to scrub raw food, this biota becomes a source of water. The gut biota is made up of many organisms that don’t live in water as long as others, notable among which are pathogens such as salmonella.
- Food handlers: The presence of microorganisms in the hands of handlers often reflects people’s environment and habits, so the organisms involved may also be microorganisms from soil, water, dust and other environmental sources.
- Animal Feed: This is often a source of Salmonella infections in poultry and other livestock. In the case of some silage, it is a known source of L. monocytogenes in dairy and meat animals.
- Animal Hide: In the case of dairy cows, when proper procedures are not followed during milking, the species of organisms found in the milk are often a mirror image of the udder biota and the overall environment of such animals.
- Air and dirt: They are sometimes found in the air and dust during food processing operations, where they persist including most of the gram-positive organisms listed.
Yeast in food:
Yeasts have found their importance in food microbiology. But they may also play a role in spoiling food. Yeasts can also be considered unicellular fungi in contrast to multicellular molds. However, this is often not a specific definition, as many things commonly thought of as yeast actually produce mycelium to varying degrees. They exist in oval, elongated, oval or spherical cell shapes. Typical yeast cells range in diameter from 5 to 8 µm, with some even larger. Older yeast cultures tend to have smaller cells.Most substances that are important in food are broken down by budding or fission. Yeast can grow in a wide acidic pH range and in up to 18% ethanol. Many grow in the presence of 55-60% sucrose.
Nutrients in Microorganisms:
In order to grow and function properly, important microorganisms in food require
The following:
- water
- source of energy
- nitrogen source
- Vitamins and Related Growth Factors
- minerals
As energy sources, foodborne microorganisms can utilize sugars, alcohols and amino acids.
Some microorganisms prepare to utilize complex carbohydrates such as starch and cellulose as an energy source by first degrading these compounds into simple sugars. Fats are also used by microbes as a source of energy, but these compounds are attacked by the relatively small number of microbes in food. The main source of nitrogen utilized by heterotrophic microorganisms is amino acids. A large number of other nitrogen-containing compounds may serve this function in various organisms. For example, some microorganisms are prepared to utilize nucleotides and free amino acids, while others are prepared to utilize peptides and proteins.
Food spoilage:
Learn about color-coded gel-like smart labels that change color when food goes bad Learn about color-coded gel-like smart labels that change color when food goes bad See all videos in this article,Food can be considered as a medium for microbial growth.
Given the wide variety of sources, substances, and methods of food production, almost every type of microorganism is a potential contaminant. Given the chance to grow, microbes alter the appearance, taste, smell, and other qualities of food. These changes varied according to the type of degraded food, but could be summarized by examining the fate of the major nutrients found in the food: protein, carbohydrates and fat.
food preservation:
All food preservation methods are based on one or more of the following principles: (1) prevent contamination and remove microorganisms, (2) inhibit microbial growth and metabolism, and (3) kill microorganisms. Contamination can be prevented—or, more precisely, minimized—by sanitizing raw food products, inhibiting growth through low temperatures (refrigeration or freezing),
dehydrating through evaporation or high concentrations of salt or sugar, and killing microorganisms by Apply high temperature and, in some cases, radiation.
Microbial food:
Important foods produced wholly or partly by the biochemical activity of microorganisms include pickles, sauerkraut, olives, soy sauce, certain types of sausages, all unprocessed cheeses except cream cheese, and yogurt and acidophilus. Includes many fermented dairy products such as milk. In either case, raw foods, such as cucumbers for pickles or milk proteins for cheese, are inoculated with microorganisms known to produce the desired changes in the desired product. Therefore, the first food acts as a substrate to be acted upon by microorganisms during the incubation period. Manufacturers often use a “starter culture”. This is a commercial population of microorganisms already known to produce superior products.
Industrial microbiology and genetic engineering:
From an industrial point of view, substrates are raw materials and microorganisms can be viewed as “chemical factories” that transform raw materials into new products. If an organism can be shown to convert cheap raw materials into useful products, it may become feasible to perform this reaction on a large industrial scale if the conditions are met.
Organism:
The organism (virus, bacterium, yeast or mold) used must have the ability to produce a significant amount of the product. It should be non-pathogenic with relatively stable characteristics and the ability to grow rapidly and vigorously.
Plant pathology:
Plants are susceptible to infection by thousands of species of highly diverse organisms, most of which are microorganisms. The plant pathogens that cause these diseases cause significant losses in agriculture and include viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma-like organisms and fungi. The study of plant diseases is named plant pathology.
