Microbiological criteria: Principles for their establishment and application in food quality and safety

Abstract

Legislation on food safety has led towards the standardization of food productions which, together with the existing quality certifications, aim to increase the level of protection of public health. It is recognized the need for the agri-food industry to have tools to harmonize their productions and to adequately manage their quality systems in order to improve consumers’ confidence. The implementation of microbiological criteria is focused on facilitating this harmonization by enabling the discrimination of defective lots and acting as control tools at industrial level. Therefore, knowledge of the principles, components and factors influencing the efficiency of microbiological criteria may be helpful to better understand the consequences of their application. In the present study the main principles, methodologies and applications of microbiological criteria in foods are addressed for their implementation as a part of the management quality systems of agrifood industries. In addition, potential limitations and impact of microbiological criteria on food safety are discussed. Finally, an assessment of the performance of microbiological criteria at EU level in berries is described for the compliance of the socalled risk-based metrics, namely Performance Objectives and Food Safety Objectives.

Enhancing the shelf life of injera: design of an evaporative cooler clay chamber derived from local clay in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

“…It can also affect the viscosity of the food system and change the mobility of the reactants by forming hydrogen bonds or complexes with the reactants. Therefore, a very important practical aspect of water activity is the monitoring and/or control of unwanted enzymatic and chemical reactions that shorten the shelf life of food (Pérez-Lavalle, Carrasco & Valero 2020). Moreover, our result was correlated with some other researchers’ reports showing that moulds can grow over a wide range of water activity values, pH values and temperatures using numerous substrates such as carbohydrates, organic acids, proteins and lipids (Huis in’t Veld 1996).…”

“…These spoil a wide variety of food and non-food items (paper, leather etc. ), but are probably best known for the spoilage of grains, dried beans, peanuts, tree nuts and some spices (Pérez-Lavalle et al 2020). Therefore, microorganisms, both individually and in groups, grow over a very wide temperature range and it is recommended to select an appropriate temperature for storing different types of foods.…”

Evaluation of the Hygienic Quality of the Gastronomic Offer of a Coastal Tourist Destination: A Study in San Pablo, Ecuador

“…The implementation of microbiological criteria focuses on providing tools for the management of quality systems, enabling the discrimination of defective batches, and controlling industrial aspects [ 43 ].…”

Quantification of total and thermotolerant coliforms using different analytical techniques in food matrices

“…Indicator microorganisms are organisms used to monitor food's hygiene, quality, and microbiological safety. These microbial groups are selected for their ease of detection, presence in large numbers in case of contamination, and their presence may indicate the possible presence of pathogens or inadequate hygiene conditions in different stages of food processing in the food industry (FRANCO, LANDGRAF, 2005;PÉREZ-LAVALLE et al, 2020).…”

“…The term "faecal coliforms" has historically been employed to describe coliforms fermenting lactose with gas production at 44.5 ºC E. coli, and certain strains of Klebsiella and Enterobacter exhibit this thermotolerance characteristic. However, only E. coli primarily inhabits the intestines of warm-blooded humans and animals (PÉREZ-LAVALLE et al, 2020).…”