Food hygiene

A large part of food microbiology is concerned with the elimination and detection of food-borne pathogens. Food poisoning can be caused by all the types of organism mentioned in this book, except the Archaea. The food microbiologist must make sure that food products do not spread diseases caused by Bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, algae, and prions. The most serious diseases are generally those that result in microbial growth inside the human body, but food poisoning can also be caused by microbial products. The mechanisms by which microbes cause human disease are dealt with in more detail in Instant Notes in Medical Microbiology.

                                                             Table 1.  Examples of microbes causing food poisoning