History Food micro biology

• What does food microbiology encompass?

  The study of microorganisms that affect the quality and safety of food products.
• What are the main areas of interest in food microbiology?

  Food poisoning, food spoilage, food preservation, and food legislation.
• What are pathogens in food products responsible for?

  Major public health problems and are leading causes of illnesses and death.
• Why is it important to isolate microorganisms in pure culture?

  To study their morphological, physiological, biochemical, and genetic characteristics.
• What does the prescientific era refer to in the history of food microbiology?

  The era before the establishment of bacteriology as a science.
• What are the two periods identified in the prescientific era of food microbiology?

  The food-gathering period and the food-producing period.
• When did the food-gathering period occur?

  From human origin over 1 million years ago up to 8,000 years ago.
• What significant change occurred during the food-producing period?

  Problems of spoilage and food poisoning were encountered with prepared foods.
• When did spoilage of prepared foods apparently begin?

  Around 6000 BC.
• What was the significance of the introduction of pottery around 5000 BC?

  It facilitated the storage and preparation of food.
• Who is believed to have first manufactured beer?

  The ancient Babylonians as far back as 7000 BC.
• What role did the Sumerians play in food history?

  They were among the first great livestock breeders and dairymen.
• What food preservation methods were used by the Egyptians as early as 3000 BC?

  Milk, butter, and cheese.
• How did the Jews preserve various foods between 3000 BC and 1200 BC?

  By using salt from the Dead Sea.
• What food preservation practice did the Greeks pass on to the Romans?

  Salted fish.
• What relationship existed between mummification and food preservation technologies?


  They seem to have influenced each other’s development.
• When did the Assyrians begin preparing wines?

  By 3500 BC.
• What food preservation method was used by the Romans around 1000 BC?


  They excelled in the preservation of meats other than beef.
• What preservation method did the Romans use for perishables?

  Snow to pack prawns and other perishables.
• What preservation techniques emerged during the period of the Romans?

  Smoking meats and making cheese and wines.
• What was the state of knowledge regarding food poisoning and spoilage between the birth of Christ and AD 1100?

  Few advances were made toward understanding these issues.
• What caused many deaths during the Middle Ages due to ergot poisoning?

  Claviceps purpurea, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.
• What was the first mention of meat butchers in history?

  In 1156.
• What order was issued in 1276 regarding meat inspection?

  A compulsory slaughter and inspection order for public use in Augsburg.
• By the thirteenth century, what was known about meat quality?


  People were aware of quality attributes in meats.
• Who was the first to suggest the role of microorganisms in spoiling foods?

  1. Kircher in 1658.
• What did L. Spallanzani demonstrate in 1765?

  That boiled beef broth sealed in a container remained sterile and did not spoil.
• Why did Spallanzani's findings not convince proponents of spontaneous generation?

  They believed his treatment excluded oxygen, which they thought was vital to spontaneous generation.
• What did Schwann demonstrate in 1837?

  That heated infusions remained sterile in the presence of air.
• What was Nicolas Appert known for?

  He developed a food preservation process that led to canning.
• When did Appert establish a cannery?

  In 1802.
• What significant event occurred in 1809 related to Appert's work?

  A French ministry official encouraged him to promote his invention.
• What did Louis Pasteur demonstrate in 1860?

  The role of microorganisms in the spoilage of French wines.
• What process did Pasteur use for the first time to destroy undesirable organisms?

  Heat, which is now known as pasteurization.
• What developments in food microbiology were initiated by Pasteur in the 1870s?


  Ideas on the roles of microorganisms in foods and their scientific proof.
• What was the significance of the developments in food microbiology by the end of the 19th century?


  They paved the way for the establishment of early food microbiology in the 20th century.
• What is the definition of food microbiology?


  The study of microorganisms in food, including their beneficial and harmful effects.
• What are the focus areas of food microbiology?

  • Growth characteristics
  • Identification
  • Pathogenesis
• What are the key concerns in food microbiology?

  • Food poisoning
  • Food spoilage
  • Food preservation
  • Food legislation
• What did the first extensive use of ice in transporting meat at sea begin?

  In 1874.