Le Cordon Bleu: Food safety and sanitation: CH2-BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINATION (SAC campus)

Clostridium perfringens

A bacteria that causes a mild infection from toxin-producing spores. It is anaerobic and can be found in soil, animal and human waste, dust, insects and raw meat.

Infection

A disease caused by the release of endotoxin in the intestine of the affected person. Illnesses caused by infection normally have a longer onset time. It may take one or two days before the infection makes a person feel ill.

Pathogen

A disease producing organism.

Scombrid

A member of a family of fish including tuna mahi mahi and mackerel.

Carrier

A person who harbors and may transmit pathogenic organisms with or without showing signs of illness.

Spore

A resistant resting phase of bacteria, protecting them against adverse conditions such as high temperatures.

H. I. V virus

A retrovirus spread through blood and bodily fluids. The CDC has found no evidence that the HIV virus can be transmitted through food.

Hepatitis A virus

A virus primarily found in the feces of infected persons. It is spread from infected food workers to ready to eat food including deli meats. It can also be spread to produce and salads and can be found in raw shellfish.

What is the common food vehicle for scombrotoxic fish poisoning

Accumulation in the body of scombrid fish during storage

Norovirus

Also called viral gastroenteritis, is found in the feces of infected persons. Can also be found in contaminated water.

Intoxication

An illness caused when bacteria produces exotoxins that are released into food. Illnesses caused by intoxication normally have a short on set time. Intoxication can also be caused by chemical residues and food additives.

pH

An index used as a measure of acidity and alkalinity, measured on a scale of 1 to 14. Acidic foods have values below 7 and alkaline foods above 7; a pH value of 7 is neutral.

Bacillus Cereus

An intoxication causing bacteria commonly found in starchy foods and meat products this type of bacteria produces two types of toxins:emetic (causing vomiting) and diarrhea (causing diarrhea). Each toxin causes a different type of illness.

Facultative anaerobe

An organism that can multiply with or without the presence of oxygen.

Parasite

An organism that lives and feeds in or on another living creature, known as a host, in a way that benefits the parasite and disadvantages the host. In some cases, the host eventually dies.

Aerobe

An organism that requires oxygen to multiply. Also referred to as an aerobic organism.

Anaerobe

An organism that requires the absence of oxygen to multiply. Also referred to as anaerobic organism

Decline phase

Bacterial growth phase in which the number of bacteria decreases because more bacteria are dying than are multiplying.

Lag phase

Bacterial growth phase when bacteria are not multiplying at all.

Logarithmic phase

Bacterial growth phase when bacteria multiply rapidly.

Stationary phase

Bacterial growth phase when the number of bacteria produced by multiplication equals the number of bacteria dying.

At what temperature do food poisoning bacteria most rapidly multiply (the temperature danger zone)?

Between 41°F and 135°F

Fungi

Biological contaminants that can be found naturally in air, plants, soil and water. Fungi can be small, single-celled organisms or large multicellular organisms.

Vegetative state

Capable of growing. Bacteria in the vegetative state continue to divide and regular intervals while conditions are suitable for growth and multiplication.

Which bacteria cause a highly deadly foodborne illness?

Clostridium Botulinum

True or false: cooking always destroys mold.

False

When may food be contaminated?

Food may be contaminated before delivery to the business, as a result of poor hygiene practices on the premises, or it may even be contaminated by customers, if not adequately protected while on display.

Acidic

Having a p.H. level less than 7.0, as do foods such as vinegar, and tomatoes.

Name a few sources of Staphylococcus aureus

Human skin, nose and hands; boils and cuts, dust, raw milk from cows or goats

Clostridium botulinum

Intoxication causing bacteria commonly found in soil and therefore in products that come from soil such as root vegetables. It is an anaerobic which means it grows without oxygen. Because there's no need for oxygen, clostridium botulinum can also be found in improperly canned foods.

What are the four phases of bacterial growth?

Logarithmic phase, lag phase, stationary phase, decline phase.

Mold

Microscopic chlorophyll free fungi that produce thread-like filaments, they can be black, white or of various colors.

Viruses

Microscopic pathogens smaller than bacteria that multiply in the living cells of their host.

What is the preferred pH of most bacteria?

Most bacteria prefer a pH between 4.6 and 7, that is, mildly acidic food.

What is the common food vehicle for shellfish toxins

Mussels and other bivalves that have fed on poisonous algae or plankton

What are the three main types of contamination?

Physical, biological, chemical

Bacteria

Single celled microorganism with rigid cell walls that multiply by dividing into two that is by binary fission. Some bacteria cause illness and others cause food spoilage.

Yeast

Single celled microscopic fungi that reproduce by budding and growing rapidly on certain food stuffs, especially those containing sugar.

FAT TOM

The acronym that lists the conditions that support the rapid growth of microorganisms. These conditions are food, acidity, time, temperature, oxygen and moisture.

Biological contamination

The contamination of food by microorganisms. Examples of biological contamination includes bacteria,parasites, viruses, and fungi. These microorganisms may be transferred to food from a variety of sources, such as people raw food, pest, and refuse. Usually occur as a result of ignorance, inadequate space or poor structural design.

What are the main vehicles for virus transfer?

The main vehicles are hands; hand-contact surfaces, such as refrigerator handles or taps; clothing and equipment; & food-contact surfaces, such as cutting boards.

Contamination

The occurrence of any objectionable matter in food or the food environment.

Temperature danger zone

The temperature range at which most foodborne microorganisms rapidly grow. The temperature danger zone is 41°F to 135°F (5°C to 57°C)

Generation time

The time between bacterial divisions.

What do Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium botulinum, and Bacillus cereus all have in common?

They all produce spores

The acronym FAT TOM helps us to remember the variables that affect bacterial growth. What do the two T's stand for?

Time and temperature

Endotoxin

Toxin (poison) present in the cell wall of many bacteria that is released on death of the bacteria.

Exotoxin

Toxin (poison) usually produced during the multiplication of some bacteria. They are highly toxic proteins and are often produced in food.

Aflatoxins

Toxins produced by mold that cause serious illness and cannot be killed by cooking.

True or false: bacterial spores are very difficult to kill

True

True or false: food poisoning bacteria are the most significant biological contaminant

True

True or false: illness caused by shellfish food poisoning sometimes results in death.

True

True or false: mold can grow at refrigerated temperatures below 41°F.

True

True or false: most food poisoning bacteria multiply fastest between 70°F to 125°F (21°C to 52° C) especially and body temperature which is around 98.6°F (37°C)

True

True or false: some bacteria, such as Listeria, multiply at temperatures below the food danger zone (41°F)

True

True or false: the majority of bacteria are harmless

True

No bacteria will multiply at temperatures above 135 degrees Fahrenheit . True or false.

True(for food related bacteria) but remember that spore-producing bacteria will not be completely destroyed at those higher temperatures.

True or false: the toxins involved in shellfish food poisoning have no odor and no taste.

True, also these toxins cannot be destroyed by freezing or cooking