Pregnant students may not attend this course. Both the non-graded credit and the final exam are requested for completion of this course. A student is allowed to miss three practical lessons, out of these, one practical may be missed without the compensation, for another two practicals oral compensations are required in Week 12 (before the credit test). Should a student fail to write the credit test on time, without stating a medical or other reason, his/her evaluation is FX. For both the credit test and final test in Moodle, at least 51 % is required to pass, two retakes are granted by the guarantor of the course.

After completing the course, the students will be able to perform routine microbiological examination of food samples aimed at detecting the presence of food pathogens and determining the counts of opportunistic pathogens and toxicogenic microorganisms.They will become familiar with the factors affecting the growth and multiplication of microorganisms in food, the classification of foodborne diseases and methods of preventing their outbreaks, as well as the use of pure microbial cultures in the production of fermented food products. Students will be able to detect the presence of residues of inhibitory substances in the food chain with the help of screening microbiological methods. They will also manage routine laboratory methods used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Students will be able to evaluate the findings of microbiological examination of food samples in accordance with current food legislation and propose effective measures to ensure microbiological food safety.

Sampling, transportation and preparation of test samples for microbiological examination.

Culture media used for microbiological examination of food samples - composition, mode of action and classification.

Qualitative microbiological examination - detection of foodborne pathogens.

Quantitative microbiological examination - enumeration of opportunistic pathogens and toxicogenic microorganisms in food.

Pure microbial cultures used in the production of fermented food products.

Detection of residues of inhibitory substances in food.

Testing of microbial resistance to antibiotics.

The use of PCR for the detection of foodborne pathogens.

Interpretation of results of microbiological food examination in accordance with current food legislation.

Lectures:

1. Microbiological food safety criteria - valid food legislation. Brief characteristics of microorganisms present in food.

2. Significance of food microorganisms for food hygiene, human health and technology of food processing. Foodborne diseases - classification and brief characteristics.

3. Sources of microbial food contamination.

4. Factors affecting microbial food population (temperature, water activity, osmotic pressure and pH).

5. Enzymatic activity of food microorganisms and food decomposition.

6. Redox potential, radiation and growth phases as factors affecting microbial food population.

7. Positive and negative interactions among food microorganisms.

8. Principles of food preservation - physical methods.

9. Chemical and biological methods used for food preservation.

10. Microbial cultures used in the production of fermented food products - Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc spp.

11. Detection of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O157 and immunomagnetic separation (IMS). Detection of Cronobacter (Enterobacter) sakazakii in dried milk products.

12. Resistance of microorganisms to antibiotics. Detection methods including the PCR.

13. Detection and enumeration of Campylobacter spp. in food samples.

Practicals:

1. Safety rules in microbiological laboratory. Sampling and preparation of food samples for microbiological examination.

2. Laboratory layout, fittings of the premises, apparatus and equipment.

3. Preparation, composition and classification of culture media used for microbiological examination of food samples.

4. Preparation of initial suspension and further decimal dilutions, methods of inoculation and incubation of test samples.

5. Enumeration, calculation and expression of results of microbiological food testing.

6. Enumeration of mesophilic, psychrotrophic and thermophilic microorganisms in food samples. Enumeration of β-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli in food samples.

7. Detection and enumeration of Enterobacteriaceae in food samples (colony count method and MPN technique).

8. Enumeration of coagulase-positive staphylococci in food samples.

9. Enumeration of yeasts and moulds in food samples.

10. Detection of Salmonella sp. in food samples.

11. Detection and enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes in food samples, CAMP test.

12. Detection of residues of inhibitory substances in food using microbiological screening methods. Compensations.

13. Self study. Credit test.

Adams, M.R., Moss, M.O., McClure, P.: Food Microbiology (4th ed.). The Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, UK, 2016, 546 pp.

Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. Official Journal of the European Union L 338, 22.12.2005, pp. 1-26.

Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1441/2007 of 5 December 2007 amending Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. Official Journal of the European Union L 322, 07.12.2007, pp. 12-29.

EN ISO standards: Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs.

Content prerequisite:

A student may register for the final exam in Food Microbiology only after completing the course in Microbiology.

Conditions for completion of course:

Pregnant students may not attend this course. Both the non-graded credit and the final exam are requested for completion of this course. A student is allowed to miss three practical lessons, out of these, one practical may be missed without the compensation, for another two practicals oral compensations are required in Week 12 (before the credit test). Should a student fail to write the credit test on time, without stating a medical or other reason, his/her evaluation is FX. For both the credit test and final test in Moodle, at least 51 % is required to pass, two retakes are granted by the guarantor of the course.

Final assessment:

To gain the credit, a student has to compensate the missed practicals in Week 12 and then pass the credit test in Moodle with a minimum score of 51 % - two retakes are granted by the guarantor of the course. A minimum of 51 % is also required to pass the final test in Moodle.

Student´s knowledge and his/her continual work during the semester are evaluated by awarding grades A, B, C, D, E or FX according to a six-point grading scale:

91 - 100 % Excellent A

81 - 90 % Very good B

71 - 80 % Good C

61 - 70 % Satisfactory D

51 - 60 % Sufficient E

less than 51 % Fail FX