Lec.3 Food microbiology Dr.
Jehan Abdul Sattar
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Parameters of Foods That Affect Microbial
Growth
The ability of microorganisms to grow or multiply in a food is determined by the
food environment ( intrinsic environment of food) as well as the environment in
which the food is stored (extrinsic environment ).
INTRINSIC PARAMETERS
pH
Most microorganisms grow best at pH values around 7.0 (6.6-7.5). In general,
molds and yeasts are able to grow at lower pH than to bacteria, and Gram-negative
bacteria are more sensitive to low pH than are Gram-positive bacteria and
pathogenic bacteria being the most fastidious.
On the basis of pH, foods can be grouped as high-acid foods (pH below 4.6) and
low-acid foods (pH 4.6 and above). Fruits, soft drinks and vinegar all fall below the
point at which bacteria normally grow. Fruits generally undergo mold and yeast
spoilage, and this is due to the capacity of these organisms to grow at pH values
<3.5, which is below the minima for most food spoilage and all food poisoning
bacteria , most of the meats and seafoods have a pH of about 5.6 and above. This
makes these products susceptible to bacteria as well as to mold and yeast spoilage.
Most vegetables have higher pH values than fruits and vegetables should be
subject more to bacterial than fungal spoilage.
Water activity
a
Water activity( w) is a measure of the availability of water for biological
functions and relates to water present in a food in free form. The free water in a
food is necessary for microbial growth. It is necessary to transport nutrients and
remove waste materials, carry out enzymatic reactions, synthesize cellular
materials, and take part in other biochemical reactions, such as hydrolysis of a
proteins to amino acids. The water requirements of microorganisms should be
a
described in terms of the water activity ( w) in the environment. This parameter is
defined by the ratio of the water vapor pressure of food substrate(P, which is <1)
to the vapor pressure of pure water (Po, which is 1), at the same temperature.
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aw = p/po, where p is the vapor pressure of the solution and po is the vapor
pressure of the solvent (usually water). This concept is related to relative humidity
(RH) in the following way:
RH = 100 x aw.
a
In general, bacteria require higher values of w for growth than fungi, with gram-
negative bacteria having higher requirements than gram positives. Each microbial
species (or group) has an optimum, maximum, and minimum aw level for growth
a
In general,the minimum w values for growth of microbial groups are as follows:
Most Gram-positive bacteria, 0.90; and Gram-negative bacteria, 0.93. , whereas
most molds, 0.80 and most yeasts ,0.88.
Nutrient Content
The microorganisms of importance in foods require :
• water
• source of energy
• source of nitrogen
• vitamins and related growth factors
• minerals
The importance of water to the growth of microorganisms was presented above.
To the other four groups of substances, molds have the lowest requirement,
followed by yeasts, gram-negative bacteria, and gram positive bacteria. As sources
of energy, foodborne microorganisms may utilize sugars, alcohols, and amino
acids. Some few microorganisms are able to utilize complex carbohydrates such as
starches and cellulose as sources of energy by first degrading these compounds to
simple sugars. Fats are used also by microorganisms as sources of energy, but
these compounds are attacked by small number of microbes in foods.
Microorganisms may require B vitamins in low quantities, and almost all natural
foods have a large quantity for those organisms that are unable to synthesize their
essential requirements. In general, gram-positive bacteria are the least synthetic
and must therefore be supplied with one or more of these compounds before they
will grow. The gram-negative bacteria and molds are able to synthesize most or all
of their requirements. Consequently, these two groups of organisms may be found
growing on foods low in B vitamins.
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Oxidation-Reduction Potential
The O/R potential of a substrate may be defined generally as the ease with
which the substrate loses or gains electrons. When an element or compound loses
electrons, the substrate is said to be oxidized, whereas a substrate that gains
electrons becomes reduced. Therefore, a substance that readily gives up electrons
is a good reducing agent, and one that readily takes up electrons is a good
oxidizing agent. The O/R potential of a system is expressed by the symbol Eh.
Aerobic microorganisms require positive Eh values (oxidized) for growth such as
some members of the genus Bacillus., whereas anaerobes require negative Eh
values (reduced) such as the genus Clostridium.
Some bacteria actually grow better under slightly reduced conditions, and these
organisms are often referred to as microaerophiles. Examples of microaerophilic
bacteria are Lactobacilli and Campylobacters. Some bacteria have the capacity
to grow under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions. Such types are referred to as
facultative anaerobes. Most molds and yeasts encountered in and on foods are
aerobic, although a few tend to be facultative anaerobes.
Plant foods, especially plant juices, tend to have positive Eh values, aerobic
bacteria and molds are the common cause of spoilage of products of this type.
Solid meats have negative Eh values , an aerobic bacteria are the common cause of
spoilage of products of this type.
Antimicrobial substances
The stability of some foods against attack by microorganisms is due to the
presence of certain naturally substances that have been shown to have
antimicrobial activity. Some species are known to contain essential oils that
possess antimicrobial activity. Among these are eugenol in cloves, allicin in garlic,
cinnamic aldehyde and eugenol in cinnamon, cow's milk contains several
antimicrobial substances, including lactoferrin, lysozyme and the lactoperoxidase
system. Eggs contain lysozyme, Ovotransferrin and conalbumin, provides fresh
eggs with antimicrobial system. The organic acids found in fruits, vegetables
show antibacterial and some antifungal activity.
Biological structures
Inner parts of healthy tissues of living plants and animals are sterile or low in
microbial content. The natural covering of some foods provides excellent
protection against the entry and damage by spoilage organisms. Ex: The outer
covering of fruits, the shell of nuts, the hide of animals, and the shells of eggs.
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EXTRINSIC PARAMETERS
The extrinsic parameters of foods are those properties of the storage environment
that affect both the foods and their microorganisms. Those of greatest importance
to the welfare of foodborne organisms are as follows:
Temperature of Storage
Microorganisms important in foods are divided into three groups on the basis of
their temperature of growth : (1) thermophiles (grow at relatively high
temperature), (2) mesophiles (grow at ambient temperature), and (3) psychrophiles
(grow at cold temperature). Therefore, it would be well to consider at this point
the temperature growth ranges for organisms of importance in foods as an aid in
selecting the suitable temperature for the storage of different types of foods .
Temperature of storage is the most important parameter that affects the spoilage of
highly perishable foods. Ex: The psychrotrophs found most commonly on foods are
those that belong to the genera Pseudomonas and Enterococcus . These organisms
grow well at refrigerator temperatures and cause spoilage of meats, fish, poultry,
eggs, and other foods normally held at this temperature.
Relative Humidity of Environment
The Relative Humidity (RH) of the storage environment is important both from
the stand point of aw within foods and the growth of microorganisms at the
surfaces. When the aw of a food is set at 0.60, it is important that this food be
stored under conditions of RH that do not allow the food to pick up moisture from
the air and increase its own surface and subsurface aw to a point where microbial
growth can occur. When foods with low aw values are placed in environments of
high RH the foods pick up moisture . Foods with a high aw lose moisture when
placed in an environment of low RH. Foods that undergo surface spoilage from
molds, yeasts, and certain bacteria should be stored under conditions of low RH.
Wrapped meats such as whole chickens and beef cuts tend to suffer much surface
spoilage in the refrigerator before deep spoilage occurs, due to the generally high
RH of the refrigerator.
Presence and Concentration of Gases in the Environment
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the single most important atmospheric gas that is used to
control microorganisms . Ozone (O3) is the other atmospheric gas that has
antimicrobial properties. It has been shown to be effective against a variety of
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microorganisms, but because it is a strong oxidizing agent, it should not be used on
high-lipid-content foods since it would cause an increase in rancidity.
Microbial Interference
Microbial interference refers to the general nonspecific inhibition or destruction
of one microorganism by other members of the same environment. Whereas lactic
antagonism is a specific example of microbial interference. The lactic antagonism
include bacteriocins, pH depression, organic acids, H2O2, diacetyl, and other
products have ability to inhibit pathogens and food-spoilage organisms.
The explanations for interference are (1) competition for nutrients, (2) competition
for attachment/adhesion sites, (3) unfavorable alteration of the environment, and
(4) combinations of these.
