Questions and Answers
What is the primary purpose of pasteurization in food processing?
To kill pathogens that can cause food-borne illnesses
How can pathogens contaminate food?
Through air, water, soil, sewage, and surfaces, as well as human skin, nasal passages, and large intestines
What is cross-contamination of food?
The transfer of pathogens from one food or surface to another
What is the result of a parasitic infection on the host organism?
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What are some examples of foods that rely on microorganisms for their production?
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What is the difference between beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms in food?
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What are some examples of contaminants that can enter food unintentionally?
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What happens when food is contaminated with pathogens?
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What type of animals can harbor harmful microbes on and in their bodies, especially in their intestinal tracts?
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What is a common route for transmitting harmful microbes?
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How do people contaminate their hands with pathogens?
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Why is it important to wash cutting boards and food preparation utensils after they come in contact with raw meat or poultry?
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What is pasteurization, and what is its purpose?
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What conditions do most microbes need to survive and multiply?
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What type of foods are likely to harbor pathogens?
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What are some examples of high-risk foods and their primary pathogens?
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Why is it important to cook foods properly?
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What can happen if contaminated cutting boards and utensils are used to prepare other foods?
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Study Notes
Pathogens in Food
- For thousands of years, people have used microorganisms to produce foods like hard cheeses, raised breads, and alcoholic beverages.
- Beneficial microorganisms secrete substances that alter food characteristics, while harmful ones spoil food and make it unfit for consumption.
- Parasites like microorganisms grow and multiply in food, obtaining nourishment from the host's tissues, causing harm to the host's health.
Sources of Pathogens
- Pathogens can be found in air, water, soil, sewage, and on various surfaces.
- Human skin, nasal passages, and large intestines have colonies of microbes, some of which can be pathogenic.
- Animals, including cats, dogs, reptiles, cattle, and poultry, can harbor harmful microbes on and in their bodies.
Common Routes for Transmitting Pathogens
- Vermin like flies, cockroaches, mice, and rats can transfer pathogens to humans when they come in contact with filth and then with food.
- Poor personal hygiene practices, like not washing hands after using the toilet or changing diapers, can transfer microbes to food.
- Animals can also transfer pathogens to food through their feces, skin, and fur.
Cross-Contamination of Food
- Improper food handling can result in food-borne illness, such as failing to wash cutting boards and utensils after contact with raw meat or poultry.
- Cross-contamination can occur when contaminated boards and utensils are used to prepare other foods, transferring pathogens.
Pasteurization
- Pasteurization is a special heating process used to destroy pathogens in food.
- Many commercial food producers use pasteurization, such as for juices and milk in the United States.
Conditions that Favor Pathogen Survival and Multiplication
- Most microbes need warmth, moisture, and a source of nutrients to survive and multiply.
- High-risk foods are warm, moist, and protein-rich, with a neutral or slightly acidic pH.
High-Risk Foods
- High-risk foods include meats, eggs, milk, and products made from milk, which fit the description of warm, moist, and protein-rich with a neutral or slightly acidic pH.
- Table 12.1 lists high-risk foods and their primary pathogens, such as rare hamburger with Salmonella species and E. coli O157:H7.
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Description
Learn about the beneficial and harmful microorganisms in food, how they affect food characteristics, and their impact on human health.