MCB 309: Food Microbiology

 

 

Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. identify the factors responsible for food spoilage and food quality enhancement;
2. state the microorganisms involved in food spoilage;
3. explain the microbial indices of food quality; methods for food quality assessment;
4. describe the international microbiological standards for food quality assessment;
5. discuss the traditional and rapid methods for estimating microbial populations in foods quality;
and
6. identify novel food production processes.

Course Contents
The distribution, role and significance of micro-organisms in food. Examples of international and
national fermented foods. Intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of foods that affect microbial growth.
Food spoilage and food borne diseases. Microbial indices of food sanitary quality international
and national microbiology standards for food quality. Diseases of animal transmittable to man
via food products. Rapid methods for assessing microbiological quality of foods. Traditional and
modern methods for food preservation. Ecology, taxonomy, biochemistry and analytical
technology of bacteria, yeasts, fungi and viruses associated with food spoilage, food-borne
diseases and fermentations. Emphasis on new developments in food microbiology. Economic
consequences of micro-organisms in food. Exploitation of micro-organisms in novel processes for
the production of food ingredients.