16 - food microbiology

the presence of _ on food or in water indicates fecal contamination and potential disease

fecal coliforms

what are the 2 classifications of foodborne diseases?

food infections, which occur when the foodborne pathogen is consumed in large enough numbers to cause illness in the host

food intoxications, which occur when preformed exotoxin produced by a contaminating pathogen in the food is consumed

what are common infectious pathogens in the US?

• noroviruses, which cause the most foodborne diseases

• staphylococcus aureus, which causes the most cases of foodborne intoxication

• non-typhoidal salmonella, which causes salmonellosis

• listeria, which multiplies in the refrigerator and causes food recalls

what human errors are responsible for most foodborne illnesses?

• cross contamination

• poor hygiene

• not properly refrigerating foods

• not heating foods for long enough

• poor procedures for growing, slaughtering, processing, etc

which poses more of a health threat, a rare steak or rare hamburger? why?

a rare hamburger, because grinding the meat disperses more bacteria throughout the entire patty, making it harder to kill them when cooking. however steaks typically only have bacteria on the surface, which is easily killed during cooking

what is an example of a foodborne infection and a foodborne intoxication

salmonellosis

botulism