Hot Topics in Food Microbiology

Identify the latest developments and issues with pathogenic E.coli, microbial toxins and prion diseases, and their relationship to food safety.

The boundary between microbiological and chemical safety of food sometimes blurs - especially in the areas of microbial toxins and prion diseases. To explore some of the latest developments in these areas, CCFRA organised an international conference, in September 2002, on the theme of Hot Topics in Food Microbiology. Speakers addressed the hazards posed by 'established' bacterial toxins (e.g. botulinum, Bacillus), fungal toxins (mycotoxins), 'algal' toxins, and the major prion diseases of relevance to food. In the wake of 2001, the significance of foot and mouth disease was also reviewed. An entire session was devoted to reviewing developments with E.coli, before exploring developments in methods for detecting and tracing microbial contaminants.

These proceedings from that event contain brief notes from speakers together with copies of many of the visual aids used on the day.

The titles of the topics addressed include:

• Clostridium botulinum and other botulinum toxin producing species
• Bacilli and food microbiology
• Blue-green micro-organisms
• Mycotoxins
• Scrapie
• Variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD)
• Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
• Foot and mouth disease (FMD)
• E. coli - human friend and foe
• E.coli species and their significance
• Pathogenic E.coli in foods
• Microbial control in food: the impact of natural antimicrobial compounds
• Molecular methods for the detection of micro-organisms
• Tracing contamination in the processing environment