Microbial Grouping
The microbial groups important in foods consist of several species and types of bacteria, yeasts, molds and viruses. Bacteria, yeasts, molds and viruses are important in food for their ability to cause foodborne diseases and food spoilage to produce food and food ingredients.
Many bacterial species and some molds and viruses, but not yeasts are able to cause foodborne disease.
Most bacteria, molds and yeasts, because of their ability to grow in foods (viruses cannot grow in foods, can potentially cause food spoilage.
Several species of bacteria, molds and yeasts are considered safe of food grade or both and are used to produce fermented foods and food ingredients.
Among the four major groups, bacteria constitute the largest group. Because of their ubiquitous presence and rapid growth rate even under condition where yeast and molds cannot grow, they are considered the most important in food spoilage and foodborne disease.
Prion or proteinaceous infectious a particles have been identified to cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in humans and animals.
Microbial Grouping
