Microbiological Examination of Food

Microbiological Examination of Food

Microbiological Examination of Food - Microbiological examination of foods may provide information concerning (I) the quality of the raw food, (2) the sanitary condition under which the food was processed, and (3) the effectiveness of the; method of preservation.

There is no general agreement on the methods for microbiological examination of food. However, estimating the total number of organisms in milk, water, meat, vegetables and frozen foods involves basically the same procedure.

The main differences lie in the methods of collecting, preparing, and measuring the sample. Four microbiological investigations are usually indicated in the bacteriological examination of food.

1. Estimation of the microbial content by direct microscopic examination.
2. Estimation of the microbial content by total viable colony count.
3. Estimation of the members of coliform or faecal streptococci which are regarded as indicative of recent or remote faecal pollution.
4. Detection of specific microorganisms known to be associated with food spoilage and food poisoning.

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