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ALIMENTOS
Microbial Growth and Food Spoilage

food spoilage
results from growth of microbes in food
alters food visibly and in other ways,
rendering it unsuitable for consumption
involves predictable succession of
microbes
different foods undergo different types
of spoilage processes
toxins are sometimes produced
algal toxins may contaminate shellfish and
finfish
 ALTERACIN
Tiene una carga de subjetividad
Un alimento en fase de deterioro
que resulta repugnante para una
persona puede constituir toda una
exquisitez para otra
Cualquier cambio en un alimento que
le convierte en inaceptable para el
consumidor (calidad o seguridad)
Food Spoilage
Approximately 1/3rd of all food manufactured in
world is lost to spoilage
Microbial content of foods (microbial load):
qualitative (which microbe) and quantitative (how
many microbes)
Shelf life
Non-perishable foods (pasta)
Semiperishable foods (bread)
Perishable foods (eggs)
General Principles
Minimize contamination by:
Good management processes
Acceptable sanitary practices
Rapid movement of food through processing plant
Well-tested preservation procedures
 Spoilage
Meat
Cutting board contamination
Conveyor belts
Temperature
Failure to distribute quickly
Fecal bacteria from intestines
Fish
Polluted waters
Transportation boxes
 Spoilage
Poultry and Eggs
Human contact
Penetration by bacteria
Milk and Dairy Products
Lactobacillus and Streptococcus species that survive
pasturization (sour milk)
Breads
Spores and fungi that survive baking
Grains
Fungi produce toxins
Animal muscle tissue contains few
bacteria
Hide, hair,
hooves, GI tract
Hide removal
Breaching GI
tract
Processing
environment and
tools
Staphylococcus,
Micrococcus,
Pseudomonas Scienceblogs.com
Poultry
Skin, feathers,
and feet
Feces and litter
from coops
Potable water for
chilling
Goldcoastcommodities.com
 Finfish and shellfish
Water
temperature and
feeding patterns
Warm vs cold
Psychrotrophic vs
mesophilic
microbes
Bottom feeders,
filter feeders
(molluscs)
Harvesting
methods Americanvision.org
Trawling vs line
What kinds of microbes cause meat
spoilage?
Common bacterial
species Mechanisms
Adherence (pili)
Pseudomonas
Formation of
Acinetobacter
glycocalyx
Moraxella
Motility
Micrococcus
Adaptation to
Staphylococcus temperature, pH
Shewanella in poultry
Fungi
Among others
 Recall types of microbes
Oxygen requirements Temperature optima

different types of microbes can grow as conditions change

Growth under storage
conditions
Microbes were intrinsic or introduced
by processing
Generally few species grow
Aerobic conditions: Pseudomonas
favored
Vacuum packed: lactobacilli if low pH
Bacillus and Shewanella can grow at
higher pH
Lowering aw reduces microbial growth
Meat, poultry, and fish are good
food sources for microbes
High aw
Protein > lipids > carbohydrates
Microbial metabolism will lower pH
Slow cooling may favor the growth of
anaerobes in deep tissue
Fungi may grow if surface gets dry
Fish vary in lipid content
Molluscs have higher carbohydrate
content and are spoiled by fermenters
Spoilage factors are diverse like the
food environment
Carbohydrates metabolized first,
then lipids, then proteins (as
microbial count increases)
Products from:
Carbohydrates- carbon dioxide or
fermentation products
Lipids- aldehydes, ketones, short-chain
fatty acids
Proteins- amino acids, amines, short
peptides
Nonprotein nitrogenous compounds
(usu. breakdown products from lysed
How does microbial metabolism
adversely affect food?
Volatile end products produce odor
Oxidation of pigmented products can
change color
Breakdown of tissues by degradative
enzymes can change texture
Production of dextran or sheer
numbers can produce slime
Water can be released (purge)
Specific spoilage organisms:
meats
High protein, low carbohydrate
High aw, pH tends to be acidic
Aerobes: Pseudomonas (grows fast),
expends glucose
Acintobacter and Moraxella prefer to
utilize amino acids
Facultative anaerobes and anaerobes if
oxygen is limited (vacuum-packed meats)
Comminuted (ground) meats spoil faster
due to increased surface area
Different issues with processed meats

Heat-resistant organisms
Introduced by handling

Preservatives often added

Lactobacillus
Leuconostoc

Amino acid metabolism

Putrefaction, odor, sliminess
Eggshells do not protect against microbial infection!

Eggs do have natural protection

lysozyme, alkaline pH, chelators, protease inhibitors

Gram-negative motile rods

green, black, red rots

Dried eggs not susceptible

to spoilage
Milk and milk products
Whats in milk?
Protein
Casein, lactalbumin, amino acids
Carbohydrate
lactose
Lipids
Degraded by milk lipases into butyric,
capric, caproic acids
Minerals
Pasteurization does not kill
everything
Micrococcus, Enterococcus, and others can
survive
Pseudomonas, spore formers, and others
can be introduced afterward
UHT (ultra high temperature, 150oC for a
few seconds) is essentially sterilized
Concentrated milk products are heat
treated
Butter tends to be contaminated by yeasts
and molds
Fruits and vegetables

Vary in carbohydrates,
proteins, pH

What sorts of organisms

would spoil them?

Innate or introduced?
Fermented foods are not immune
to spoilage

Generally yeasts and acidophilic bacteria

 Canned foods

Heat treated to kill microbes

Low acid: kill most spore formers

flat sour- no gas
thermophilic anaerobe-gas
sulfide stinker- gas and
discoloration

High acid: all vegetative bacteria

Refrigerated foods
Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic
microbes
Handling introduces microbes
Some pathogens can grow at low
temperatures
With long storage, microbes can
increase to disease causing levels
Competitive advantages: adaptation to
cold. Low O2, production of bacteriocins
Clostridium grow in vacuum-packed
 Vida til
Como el tiempo en el que un
alimento conservado en unas
condiciones determinadas rene tres
condiciones
Es seguro
Mantiene caractersticas qumicas,
fsicas, microbiolgicas y sensoriales
adecuadas
Cumple especificaciones nutricionales
declaradas en su etiquetada
 Todos los alimentos se alteran si no
se consumen en un tiempo
prudencial y/o si no se conservan en
unas condiciones adecuadas
 Clasificacin de alimentos
Segn la facilidad con la que se alteran los alimentos
los podemos clasificar en:
Estables o no perecederos: Son aquellos que
contienen menos de un 12% de agua libre. Por
ejemplo, azcar, harina, alubias secas,.
Semiperecederos: Contienen menos de un 60% de
agua libre o tienen cidos o azcares que dificultan
el desarrollo microbiano. Es el caso de las patatas,
manzanas, nueces sin cscara,.... Si se manipulan y
conservan de forma adecuada tardan en alterarse
Perecederos: Se alteran con facilidad si no se
utilizan procedimientos de conservacin especficos.
 Agentes de Alteracin
Los agentes que provocan este fenmeno de alteracin,
son principalmente los siguientes:
Agentes fsicos: son generalmente los atmosfricos,
tales como el grado de humedad, actividad del agua,
la temperatura y el tiempo.
Agentes qumicos: el oxgeno del aire y la luz, que
provocan fenmenos de oxidacin, el pH y la acidez.
Agentes biolgicos: es la propia composicin del
alimento, como puede ser el caso de las enzimas
propias del producto y las procedentes de las
bacterias, levaduras y mohos. Tambin han de
considerarse otros agentes como parsitos, roedores...
 Cuanto mayor sea la carga bacteriana inicial
del alimento, mas breve ser su vida til
debido al aumento de las actividades
microbianas
La alteracin no solo se debe al crecimiento
microbiano visible sino tambin a la
produccin de metabolitos finales que originan
olores, colores y/o sabores repugnantes, gas,
limosidad o prdida de la textura normal.
Los signos de alteracin varan notablemente
dependiendo de los alimentos, su carga
microbiana y las condiciones ambientales.
Grupo Microorganismos Efectos
Bacterias GRAM- Pseudomonas Pigmentos
Alteromonas Proteasas, lipasas
Shewanella termoestables
Aeromonas Producen olores y
sabores repugnantes
Pigmentos en
alteracin de huevos
Bacterias GRAM+ Pediococcus spp. Alteracin de
no esporuladas Leuconostoc spp. alimentos
(Bacterias lcticas) Lactobacillus spp. fermentados y
Enterococcus spp. envasados en
Acetobacter spp atmsferas
modificadas
Bacterias GRAM+ Bacillus Alteracin de
esporuladas Clostridium alimentos
fermentados
envasados en
atmsferas
modificadas
Hongos y Penicillum Toleran major que las
levaduras Rhizopus nigricans bacterias Aw baja y/o
Neurospora stophila pH cidos.
Mucor Pudricin,
Saccharomyces destruccin celular
Torulopsis