Risk Management 3A

• Sporeforming bacteria are a group of bacteria capable of forming spores, which enable cells to survive environmental stress such as cooking, freezing, high-salt conditions, drying, and high-acid conditions
• Non-sporeforming bacteria, on the other hand, do not form spores and stay in the vegetative state all the time. They are easily destroyed by proper cooking
• Common sporeforming bacteria in food establishments include Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, and Clostridium botulinum
• Clostridium perfringens is a nearly anaerobic sporeforming bacterium that causes foodborne illness. It causes illness due to toxin-mediated infection where the ingested cells colonize and then produce a toxin in the human intestinal tract
• Symptoms of Clostridium perfringens foodborne illness include abdominal pain and diarrhea, with an onset time of 8-12 hours. The illness typically lasts for one day or less
• Common foods associated with Clostridium perfringens include meat that has been boiled, steamed, braised, stewed, or insufficiently roasted, spices, gravy, improperly cooled foods (especially meats and gravy dishes), and improperly reheated foods
• Prevention of Clostridium perfringens includes cooking food to 145ºF (63ºC) or above, cooling cooked foods properly, reheating foods to 165ºF (74ºC) within 2 hours, and holding at 135ºF (57ºC) until served. Foods should only be reheated once, and if not consumed after one reheating, they should be discarded
• Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic sporeforming bacterium that causes foodborne intoxication. It produces a deadly neurotoxin that can be destroyed through boiling of cooked food for 20 minutes
• Symptoms of Clostridium botulinum foodborne intoxication include fatigue, headache, dizziness, visual disturbances, inability to swallow, and respiratory paralysis. The onset time is 12-36 hours, and the duration of the illness can be several days to a year
• Common foods associated with Clostridium botulinum include low-acid foods (pH 4.6 or above), inadequately heat-processed and then packed anaerobically, and foods held in the temperature danger zone. Transmission is attributed to ingestion of foods that were not heat-processed correctly and packaged anaerobically
• Prevention of Clostridium botulinum includes not using home-canned goods, not buying from unapproved sources, and discarding damaged cans