TH2203 Food Hazards and Safe Food Handling Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice flashcards defining key terminology, food hazards, pathogens, bacterial growth phases, temperatures, and safe food handling procedures from TH2203 Handout 1.

Contamination

The unintended presence of harmful organisms or substances in food.

Hazard

Any substance in food that can cause illness, injury, or harm.

Biological Hazard

A danger to food safety caused by disease-causing microorganisms such as bacteria, molds, yeasts, viruses, or fungi.

Chemical Hazard

A danger to food safety caused by chemical substances, especially cleaning agents, pesticides, and toxic metals.

Physical Hazard

A danger to food safety caused by particles such as glass chips, metal shavings, bits of wood, stones, soil, insects, or hair.

Allergen

A substance that causes an allergic reaction.

Direct Contamination

The contamination of raw food items or the plants or animals from which they come, in their natural settings or habitats.

Cross-Contamination

The transference of hazardous substances, mainly microorganisms, to food from another food or surface such as equipment, worktables, or hands.

Foodborne Illnesses

Diseases, usually either infectious or toxic, caused by agents that enter the body through the ingestion or consumption of contaminated food.

Foodborne Disease Outbreak

An incident in which two (2) or more people experience a similar illness after eating a common food.

Pathogens

Bacteria or microorganisms that are dangerous when consumed by humans.

Intoxications

Foodborne illnesses (food poisoning) occurring when a pathogen produces a toxin while growing in food before it is eaten.

Infections

Foodborne illnesses caused when viable food pathogens survive through the host's stomach into the intestine.

Toxin-Mediated Infection

Illness caused by eating food that contains harmful microorganisms that will produce a toxin once inside the human body.

Lag Phase

The resting period during bacterial growth, lasting from $1\text{ to }4\text{ hours}$, during which bacteria adjust to new conditions and very little growth occurs.

Log Phase

The period of accelerated bacterial growth following the lag phase.

Stationary Phase

The bacterial growth phase that lasts until bacteria crowd others within their colony, creating competition for food, space, and moisture.

Decline Phase

The period of bacterial growth, also known as the negative-growth phase, during which bacteria die at an accelerated rate.

Temperature Danger Zone (TDZ)

The temperature range of $41^{\circ}\text{F}\text{ to }135^{\circ}\text{F}\,\, (5^{\circ}\text{C}\text{ to }57^{\circ}\text{C})$ in which most disease-causing bacteria multiply rapidly.

Temperature Abuse

A term applied to food items that have not been heated to a safe temperature or kept at an improper temperature.

Water Activity ($A_w$)

A measure of the amount of water that is not bound to food and is available for bacterial growth, measured on a scale of $0\text{ to }1.0$.

Viruses

Microorganisms much smaller than bacteria that require a living host in which to grow and reproduce, and do not multiply in food.

Parasites

Microscopic creatures that need to live on or inside a living host to survive and take nourishment from their host.

Fungi

Organisms ranging from single-celled to multicellular that include yeasts, molds, mildews, and mushrooms.

Minimum Internal Cooking Temperature

The internal temperature for a food product at which microorganisms are killed, held for a specified period to ensure safety.

Four-Hour Rule

A safe food handling rule stating that food must not remain in the Temperature Danger Zone (TDZ) for a cumulative total of more than four (4) hours between receiving and serving.

Color-Coded Chopping Boards

A standard kitchen color scheme used to prevent cross-contamination: red (raw meats), yellow (raw poultry), blue (fish and shellfish), green (vegetables and fruits), white (dairy products), and brown (cooked food).

Containment

A function of food packaging to conceal the product and its parts and prevent them from spillage and loss from the packing line through transportation to the customer.

Bacillus Cereus

The pathogen responsible for B. Cereus Food Poisoning, commonly sourced from meats.

Campylobacter jejuni

The pathogen responsible for Campylobacteriosis, commonly sourced from raw and undercooked poultry and unpasteurized milk.

Clostridium Botulinum

The pathogen responsible for Botulism, commonly sourced from improperly canned food.

Escherichia Coli

The pathogen responsible for Travelers' diarrhea, commonly sourced from water or food contaminated with human feces.

Listeria Monocytogenes

The pathogen responsible for Listeriosis, commonly sourced from unpasteurized dairy products and ready-to-eat deli meats.

Salmonella

The pathogen responsible for Salmonellosis, commonly sourced from eggs and poultry.

Staphylococcus Aureus

The pathogen responsible for Staph food poisoning, commonly sourced from unrefrigerated meats.