Bacteria are single celled organisms that can cause foodborne illness in two ways
- They can infect foods themselves, by their presence in the food as they feed on it
- They can produced toxins, which can make food hazardous, as they breakdown. Bacteria, under good condition, can grow and divide quickly – each cell dividing into two approximately every 20 minutes.
Good conditions for bacterial growth require
- Food – especially high protein
- Acidity – neutral to low acid
- Temperatures –especially 40 – 140 degree F, ideal temperature is 90 to 100 degree F about body temperature
- Oxygen
- Moisture
When one or more of these six factor is present in a food product, creating the conditions for bacterial growth, that food product is a potentially hazardous food. Potential hazardous foods therefore include meats; poultry; fish; soy-based foods; eggs; milk and milk products; cooked pasta, rice, potatoes, or beans; garlic oil mixture; raw fruits and vegetables; and raw seeds and sprouts. Some of these items surprise many people – it’s not the mayonnaise that is the problem on a buffet; rather, it is the moisture content and low acidity of the items that are put into mayonnaise – potatoes, pasta, beans, etc. Some bacteria even produce spores that don’t reproduce but can survive heating and cooling so that as conditions improve the spore’s bacteria can become active again.
Bacteria in General
