Recent innovations in nanotechnology have transformed a number of scientific and industrial areas including the food industry. Applications of nanotechnology have emerged with increasing need of nanoparticle uses in various fields of food science and food microbiology, including food processing, food packaging, functional food development, food safety, detection of foodborne pathogens, and shel...

So what science does “predictive microbiology” cover exactly? In the first book on the subject, published just over 10 years ago, McMeekin et al. (1993) defined it as a quantitative science that enables users to evaluate objectively the effect of processing, distribution and storage operations on the microbiological safety and quality of foods. Later, the same authors used the expression “Quant...

The construction of bioluminescent and fluorescent foodborne pathogens to study behavior in food systems is an expanding area of research. Using recombinant DNA technology, food microbiologists can create bioluminescent pathogens that enable the study of growth, injury, and destruction in complex systems. In addition, bioluminescence can be employed in rapid detection of pathogens through the u...

Bacterial counts obtained on hydrophobic grid-membrane filters were comparable to conventional plate counts for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus in homogenates from a range of foods. The wide numerical operating range of the hydrophobic grid-membrane filters allowed sequential diluting to be reduced or even eliminated, making them attractive as components in a...

Predictive microbiology is the area of food microbiology that attempts to forecast the quantitative evolution of microbial populations over time. This is achieved to a great extent through models that include the mechanisms governing population dynamics. Traditionally, the models used in predictive microbiology are whole-system continuous models that describe population dynamics by means of equ...

Food spoilage may be defined as a process that renders a product undesirable or unacceptable for consumption and is the outcome of the biochemical activity of a microbial community that eventually dominates according to the prevailing ecological determinants. Although limited information are reported, this activity has been attributed to quorum sensing (QS). Consequently, the potential role of ...

CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE CARRIAGE IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS AND 1 ASSOCIATED CHANGES IN THE INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA 2 3 Mary C. Rea, Orla O’Sullivan, Fergus Shanahan, Paul W. O’Toole, 4 Catherine Stanton, R. Paul Ross * and Colin Hill. 5 †Both authors contributed equally. 6 7 Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork Ireland, 8 Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork, Irela...

Molecular methods are being increasingly applied to detect, quantify and study microbial populations in food or during food processes. Among these methods, PCR-based techniques have been the subject of considerable focus and ISO guidelines have been established for the detection of food-borne pathogens. More particularly, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is considered as a method of choice for...

1Laboratory of Microbiology and Biochemical, College of Chemistry and Food Engineering, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande – FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil 2Department of Chemistry, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Hessen, Germany 3Hematology and Stem Cell Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil 4Laboratory of Biochemical ...