Food and Nutrition

Food Microbiology

Food microbiology is the study of the microorganisms that inhabit, create, or contaminate food. This includes the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage; pathogens that may cause disease microbes used to produce fermented foods such as cheese, yogurt, bread, beer, and wine; and microbes with other useful roles, such as producing probiotics. Food microbiologists examine samples of food, testing them for salmonella, listeria and other microorganisms that cause humans to fall ill. These scientists also look into what drives the growth of microorganisms in food. Food microbiology is about the understanding of microorganisms that grow or multiply in or contaminate the food which we consume. The key aspect of food microbiology is food safety which focuses on the disease-causing microorganism and their toxins which may contaminate the food.