Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of Food
Pathogens
Streszczenie
The rapid growth of world population and increase in living standards have
led to an increase in the demand for high-quality, safe food. The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that by 2050 the demand for food
will increase by 60%, and production of animal protein will increase by 1.7% a year, with
meat production to increase by nearly 70%, dairy products by 55%, and aquaculture
by as much as 90%. Microbial contamination of food is a significant problem for the
accessibility of safe food which does not pose a threat to the life and health of consumers.
Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Yersinia are responsible for thousands of food-borne
infections in humans. Currently, numerous programs are being developed to combat
pathogenic bacteria in the food supply chain, especially at the primary production stage.
These approaches include physical, chemical, biological, and other strategies and methods
used to inhibit the bacterial growth of bacteria or completely eliminate the pathogens
from the food chain. Therefore, an extremely important goal is to provide safe food and
control its quality by eliminating pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. However,
the use of chemicals in food preservation has negative effects for both the consumption
values of food and the natural environment. Therefore, it seems absolutely necessary to
implement measures utilizing the most environmentally friendly and effective techniques
for controlling microbial contamination in food. There is a great need to develop ecological
methods in food production which guarantee adequate safety. One of these methods is the
use of bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) naturally occurring in the environment. Given the
above, the aim of this study was to present the most natural, ecological, and alternative
methods of food preservation with regard to the most common foodborne zoonotic bacteria.
We also present methods for reducing the occurrence of microbial contamination in food,
thus to produce maximally safe food for consumers.
Zbiory
- Publikacje [643]