The Microbiology of Safe Food reviews the production of food and the level of microorganisms that humans ingest, covering both food pathogens and food spoilage organisms.

Key features include:

• the dominant foodborne microorganisms
• the means of their detection
• microbiological criteria and sampling plans
• the setting of microbial limits for end-product testing
• predictive microbiology
• the role of HACCP
• Microbiological Risk Assessment
• the setting of Food Safety Objectives
• relevant international regulations and legislation

1. Introduction to Safe Food
   What is safe food?
   The manufacture of hygienic food
   Functional foods

2. Basic Aspects
   The microbial world
   Bacterial cell structure
   Microbial growth cycle
   Death kinetics
   Factors affecting microbial growth
   Preservatives
   Microbial response to stress
   Predictive modeling

3. Foodborne Illness
   The size of the food poisoning problem
   Consumer pressure effect on food processing
   Testing foods for the presence of pathogens
   Control of food poisoning
   Surveillance programs
   Causes of food poisoning
   The microbial flora of the human gastrointestinal tract
   The mode of action of bacterial toxins
   Virulence factors of foodborne pathogens

4. The Microbial Flora of Food
   Spoilage microorganisms
   Shelf life indicators
   Methods of preservation and shelf life extension
   Fermented foods
   Prebiotics, probiotics and synbiotics
   Microbial biofilms

5. Food Poisoning Microorganisms
   Indicator organisms
   Foodborne pathogens: bacteria
   Foodborne pathogens: viruses
   Seafood and shellfish poisoning
   Foodborne pathogens: eucaryotes
   Mycotoxins
   Emerging and uncommon foodborne pathogens

6. Methods of Detection
   Prologue
   Conventional methods
   Rapid methods
   Rapid end-detection procedures
   Accreditation schemes

7. Food Safety Management Tools
   Microbiological safety of food in world trade
   The management of hazards in food which is in international trade
   Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
   Outline of HACCP
   Microbiological criteria and HACCP
   Microbiological hazards and their control
   HACCP plans
   Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs)
   Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Hygiene Practice (GHP)
   Quality Systems
   Total Quality Management (TQM)
   ISO 9000 Series of standards

8. Microbial Criteria
   International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods
   Codex Alimentarius principles for the establishment and application of microbiological criteria for foods
   Sampling plans
   Variables plans
   Attributes sampling plan
   Principles
   Microbiological limits
   Examples of sampling plans
   Implemented microbiological criteria
   Public Health (UK) Guidelines for Ready-To-Eat Foods

9. Microbiological Risk Assessment
   Risk assessment (RA) Risk management
   Risk communication
   Food Safety Objectives
   Application of MRA

10. Regulations and Authorities
    Regulations in international trade of food
    Codex Alimentarius Commission
    Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS), Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and the World Health Organization (WHO)
    Food authorities in the United States
    European Union legislation
    Food safety agencies

    Glossary
    Appendix
    Index

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