There are three types of food contamination: biological, chemical and physical.
Bacteria. Bacteria are the most important microorganisms to the food processor. Most are harmless, many are highly beneficial, some indicate the probable presence of filth, disease organisms, spoilage and a few cause disease.
Types of Probiotics and What They Do
- Lactobacillus. In the body, lactobacillus bacteria are normally found in the digestive, urinary, and genital systems.
- Bifidobacteria. Bifidobacteria make up most of the “good†bacteria living in the gut.
- Streptococcus thermophilus.
- Saccharomyces boulardii.
Types
- Spherical: Bacteria shaped like a ball are called cocci, and a single bacterium is a coccus. Examples include the streptococcus group, responsible for “strep throat.â€
- Rod-shaped: These are known as bacilli (singular bacillus).
- Spiral: These are known as spirilla (singular spirillus).
The top five germs that cause illnesses from food eaten in the United States are:
- Norovirus.
- Salmonella.
- Clostridium perfringens.
- Campylobacter.
- Staphylococcus aureus (Staph)
A teaspoon of productive soil generally contains between 100 million and 1 billion bacteria. That is as much mass as two cows per acre. A ton of microscopic bacteria may be active in each acre of soil.
Bacteria and viruses in the home
- Staphylococcus aureus, or staph.
- yeast and mold.
- Salmonella.
- Escherichia coli, or E. coli.
- fecal matter.
It's easier to accept the more prevalent contaminants found in a restroom: fecal bacteria, influenza, streptococcus, E.coli, hepatitis, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), salmonella, shigella and norovirus.
like to eat bacteria by the bucketload (such as in yoghurt and cheese), there are millions of animals out there who also eat bacteria as part of their diet. Further up the food chain, there are bigger animals like cows and camels or koalas which also use bacteria in their stomachs to break down plants.
Filthy Dishes Can Cause Cross-Contamination, Food Poisoning and Digestive Issues. "Washing your dishes is an important chore, not just because dirty dishes lead to flies and nasty bacteria buildup, but because dirty dishes could get you really sick," Sonpal says.
Not doing the dishes is a common way to spread germs around your house. "Ultimately if you leave dirty dishes around and there are people in the house, and possibly animals, they are likely to spread bacteria around," Associate Professor Mullan said.
- Raw meat is the largest single source of germs and bacteria in the kitchen. Although proper cooking will kill most harmful bacteria, using a common preparation area can spread bacteria to other foods, cooked or uncooked.
According to research carried out by the Global Hygiene Council , kitchen sinks have over 17,000 bacteria per square inch while a further 13,000 can be found around the handles of the tap.
Bacteria need food to grow, just like we do. So if you have food, you could also have bacterial growth. Bacteria enjoy foods that are neutral to slightly acidic. They will not grow in highly acidic foods like lemons and vinegars, but will grow well in vegetables, meat and some fruits.
Some examples of bacterial infections include:
- strep throat.
- bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs), often caused by coliform bacteria.
- bacterial food poisoning, often caused by E.
- bacterial cellulitis, such as due to Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- bacterial vaginosis.
- gonorrhea.
- chlamydia.
- syphilis.
Staphylococcus. Staphylococcus is a sphere-shaped bacterium that can produce various diseases due to infection of various body tissues. Related diseases can be mild, thereby requiring no treatment, or potentially fatal. The bacterium exists virtually everywhere and is common on the skin.
There are four common forms of bacteria-coccus,bacillus,spirillum and vibrio.
- Coccus form:- These are spherical bacteria.
- Bacillus form:- These are rod-shaped bacteria.
- Spirilla form:- These are spiral-shaped bacteria that occur singly.
- Vibrio form:- These are comma-shaped bacteria.
The majority of the bacteria found in the body live in the human gut. There are billions of bacteria living there (Figure 2).
Here are seven types of bacteria to be concerned about as you fill up your next glass of water:
- 1) Escherichia Coli. Escherichia Coli (also known as E.
- 2) Campylobacter Jejuni.
- 3) Hepatitis A.
- 4) Giardia Lamblia.
- 5) Salmonella.
- 6) Legionella Pneumophila.
- 7) Cryptosporidium.
Top Ten Bacteria
- Deinococcus radiodurans.
- Myxococcus xanthus.
- Yersinia pestis.
- Escherichia coli.
- Salmonella typhimurium.
- Epulopiscium spp. The big boy of the kingdom – about as large as this full stop.
- Pseudomonas syringae. Dreaming of a white Christmas?
- Carsonella ruddii. Possessor of the smallest bacterial genome known, C.
E coli is a gram-negative bacillus that grows well on commonly used media. It is lactose-fermenting and beta-hemolytic on blood agar. Most E coli strains are nonpigmented.
Individual bacteria can assume one of three basic shapes: spherical (coccus), rodlike (bacillus), or curved (vibrio, spirillum, or spirochete).
There are 3 ways bacteria reproduce sexually, these are:
Transformation.
Transduction.
Conjugation.
Bacteria Reproduction
- Binary fission.
- Reproduction through conidia.
- Budding.
- Reproduction through cyst formation.
- Reproduction through endospore formation.
Unpasteurized (raw) milk and dairy products. Soft cheese made with unpasteurized milk, such as queso fresco, feta, Brie, Camembert. Raw fruits and vegetables (such as sprouts). Ready-to-eat deli meats and hot dogs.
Raw foods of animal origin are the most likely to be contaminated, specifically raw or undercooked meat and poultry, raw or lightly cooked eggs, unpasteurized (raw) milk, and raw shellfish. Fruits and vegetables also may get contaminated.
Sometimes, raw fruits and vegetables contain harmful germs that can make you and your family sick, such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. CDC estimates that germs on fresh produce cause a large percentage of U.S. foodborne illnesses. The safest produce is cooked; the next safest is washed.
It is impossible to know about all of these sicknesses, but you should know about the 6 most common foodborne illnesses, known as the “Big 6â€â€”Salmonella, Salmonella typhi (Typhoid), Shigella, E.coli, Norovirus, and Hepatitis A.
Bacilli- are short rod-shaped bacteria.They are the most common bacteria. They produce diseases such as tetanus, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and diphtheria.
However, the CDC estimates that about 90% of all foodborne illness in this country is caused by the following seven (7) pathogens: Norovirus, Salmonella, Clostridium perfrigens, Campylobacter, Listeria, E.coli 0157:H7 and Toxoplasma.
Toxic residues of bacteria in food and beverage samples can be analyzed with test kits for bacterial toxins. Common test formats for microbial food testing are ELISA assays, real-time PCR tests, nutrient plates and agar plates. For detection of pathogenic bacteria, immunological based methods (ELISA) are available.
Food poisoning is an illness caused by eating contaminated food. It's not usually serious and most people get better within a few days without treatment. In most cases of food poisoning, the food is contaminated by bacteria, such as salmonella or Escherichia coli (E. coli), or a virus, such as the norovirus.
E. coli are bacteria found in the intestines of people and animals and in the environment; they can also be found in food and untreated water. Most E. coli are harmless and are part of a healthy intestinal tract.
