Microbiology of Food
In nature, microorganisms are common and include bacteria, yeasts, fungus, and some types of protozoa. Particularly, bacteria, yeasts, and fungi can be found in a variety of environments, from the cold Antarctic to refrigeration temperatures between 1 and 5°C, hot springs with temperatures as high as 100°C, and even deep-sea hydrothermal vents where high pressures enable organisms to flourish at temperatures as high as 160°C and higher. Numerous microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeasts, viruses, protozoa, and worms, are important to the food industry.Understanding food safety requires an understanding of microbial growth, particularly how to measure it. Clostridium botulinum and other important bacterial agents that cause foodborne diseases are a major problem in this field.