Laboratory Manual of Food Microbiology

Principles of Laboratory Food Microbiology serves as a general laboratory guide for individuals in quality control, quality assurance, sanitation, and food production who need to increase their knowledge and skills in basic and applied food microbiology and food safety. This is a very useful book for food industry personnel with little or no background in microbiology or those who need a refresher course in basic microbiological principles and laboratory techniques. Focusing on rudimentary skill-building throughout, the book provides a review of basic microbiological techniques – media preparation, aseptic techniques, dilution, plating, etc. – followed by analytical methods and advanced tests for food-borne pathogens. It discusses basic microbiology techniques that evaluate the microbiota of various foods and enumerate indicator microorganisms. It elaborates on conventional cultural techniques. It also focuses on procedures for detecting pathogens in food, offering students the opportunity to practice cultural and biochemical methods. The final section examines beneficial microorganisms and their role in food fermentations, concentrating on lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, and yeast. It provides an ideal text companion for an undergraduate or graduate laboratory course, offering professors an authoritative frame of reference for their own supplementary materials and a useful reference for the food processing industry personnel, as well as government and private organization linked with food processing and microbial quality of the processed product. The book is an essential text for microbiologists working in the food industry, quality assurance personnel, and academic researchers.