Modelling Microorganisms in Food covers the latest developments and provides an outlook for the future of microbial modelling.

Part One discusses general issues involved in building models of microbial growth and inactivation in foods, with chapters on the historical background of the field, experimental design, data processing and model fitting, the problem of uncertainty and variability in models and modelling lag-time. Further chapters review the use of quantitative microbiology tools in predictive microbiology and the use of predictive microbiology in risk assessment.

Part Two of the book focuses on new approaches in specific areas of microbial modelling, with chapters discussing the implications of microbial variability in predictive modelling and the importance of taking into account microbial interactions in foods. Predicting microbial inactivation under high pressure and the use of mechanistic models are also covered. The final chapters outline the possibility of incorporating systems biology approaches into food microbiology.

Features:

• assesses the latest developments in microbial modelling
• discusses the issues involved in building models of microbial growth
• chapters review the use of quantitative microbiology tools in predictive microbiology
• looks at new approaches to microbial modelling behaviour
• written by a team of leading experts

Contents

Part 1: Building Models for Predictive Microbiology

Predictive microbiology: past, present and future

• Turning data into knowledge
• Case studies of critical analysis
• Recent systematic analysis of literature and the advent of quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA)
• QMRA and predictive microbiology
• Advances in technology for the application of predictive models

Experimental design, data processing and model fitting in predictive microbiology

• Experimental design
• Data processing
• Model fitting

Uncertainty and variability in predictive models of microorganisms in food

• Case study – part 1
• Imprecise predictive models
• Case study – part 2
• A closer look at variability
• A closer look at uncertainty
• Separation of uncertainty and variability
• Case study – epilogue
• Categorizing questions of food professionals
• GMPs for unpredictable microbes

Modelling lag-time in predictive microbiology with special reference to the lag phase of bacterial spores

• General aspects of the lag-time
• Lag-time of bacterial spores, transformation of the spore to vegetative cells
• Quantitative aspects, mathematical modelling
• Lag-times in real foods

Application of models and other quantitative microbiology tools in predictive microbiology

• Definitions
• Applications of models and databases
• Access to models
• Other quantitative microbiology tools

Predictive models in food risk assessment

• Quantitative microbiological risk assessment
• Quantitative microbiology
• Recontamination
• Linking models
• Information sources
• Representativity of models
• Food safety objectives and risk assessment
• Examples of structured approaches of risk assessment

Part 2: New Approaches to Microbial Modelling in Specific Areas of predictive Microbiology

The non-linear kinetics of microbial inactivation and growth in foods

• The traditional primary models of inactivation and growth
• Traditional secondary models
• Sigmoid isothermal survival curves
• Non isothermal inactivation
• Empirical growth models
• Simulation of non-isothermal growth curves

Modelling of high pressure inactivation of microorganisms in foods

• Factors affecting the microbial inactivation by HP processing
• Current models: strengths and weaknesses
• Future trends in the modelling of pressure-temperature processes

Mechanistic models of microbial inactivation behaviour in foods

• Case for mechanistic models
• Development of mechanistic models for microbial inactivation
• Model validation and comparison with others
• Applications of microbial inactivation mechanistic models
• Strengths, weaknesses and limitations of mechanistic models

Modelling microbial interactions in foods

• Measuring growth and interactions of bacteria in foods
• Developing models of microbial interactions
• Applications and implications for food processors

A kinetic model as a tool to understand the response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to heat exposure

• Experimental data
• The model
• Validation

Systems biology and food science

• Systems biology: biology at last
• Systems biology and food microbiology
• Food production: metabolic engineering
• Food safety
• Areas for systems food microbiology in microbial food spoilage research
• Models of microbial ecology and food consumption

Index

click here to see books • videos • cd-roms of related interest