Microbial Hazards

Standard and Objective:

Standard:
Students will review and apply the skills
of kitchen management, safety and
sanitation.
Objective:
Students will identify food born illness,
sources, symptoms and prevention.
Microbial Hazards

Microorganisms are everywhere --

they can be:
– Pathogens – cause disease
– Spoilers – cause the quality of food
to deteriorate
– Beneficial – used for food
production and present in and on
the body
Types of Foodborne Illness
Infection
⚫ eating food contaminated with pathogens
Intoxication
⚫ eating food contaminated with the toxins
(poisons) formed by bacteria
⚫ eating food contaminated with other biological
or chemical toxins (poisons)
Toxin-mediated infection
⚫ eating food contaminated with pathogens that
grow in the body and form toxins (poisons)
Three Microbial Hazards
Three microorganisms
cause most foodborne
illness:
– Bacteria
– Viruses
– Parasites

Microorganisms are:
– naturally present or
– get into the food through
poor handling practices.
Common Symptoms

Common symptoms of
foodborne illness are:
⚫ diarrhea
⚫ vomiting
⚫ fever
⚫ sore throat with fever
⚫ jaundice
Bacteria Basics
⚫ Invisible to the naked eye.
⚫ Pathogenic bacteria only grow in potentially
hazardous food, which are also called TCS
food.
⚫ Some produce spores.
⚫ Some produce toxins.
⚫ Not necessarily destroyed by freezing or
cooking.
⚫ Can cause infection, intoxication, or toxin-
mediated infection.
Conditions for Bacterial Growth

Potentially hazardous food

⚫low acid (pH >4.6)
⚫moist
⚫protein

Time
⚫4 hours or longer in the temperature danger
zone
Temperature
⚫ between 41oF and 140oF

Microbial Hazards 9
Food Borne Illnesses

Sources, Symptoms, and

Prevention
Botulism
⚫ Sources: Found in improperly
canned foods; Also in deli
meats, ham, sausage, and
some seafood
⚫ Symptoms usually start 4-36
hours after eating and include
double vision, difficulty
swallowing, progressive
paralysis of respiratory
system.

⚫ Prevention:
Insure that all foods are properly canned and time temperature
guidelines are followed. Do not buy dented or damaged cans.
Thorough heating and cooking of food.
This contaminate requires medical help immediately – Botulism
can be fatal.
Campylobacteriosis
⚫ Sources: Raw poultry, meat,
and unpasteurized milk.
⚫ This bacteria is found on
poultry, cattle and sheep and
can contaminate the meat
and milk of these animals
⚫ Symptoms usually start 2-5
days after eating. Symptoms
include diarrhea, abdominal
cramping, fever, and
sometimes bloody stools.
Can last up to 10 days.

Prevention:
⚫ Cook meats to appropriate internal temperatures:
⚫ Ground Meats (Beef, Pork, Lamb) - 155° F

⚫ Whole cuts of Beef, Pork, Lamb, & Veal - 145°F

⚫ All Poultry (whole or ground) - 165 F

⚫ Reheating leftovers - 165° F

Listeriosis
⚫ Sources: Found in soft ⚫ Symptoms are reported 48-
cheese, unpasteurized milk, 72 hours after eating
and shell fish. contaminated foods and
⚫ Resistant to heat – they include fever, headache,
survive and grow at low nausea and vomiting.
temperatures. ⚫ Can cause fetal and infant
death.
Prevention
⚫ Wash your hands after using the restroom.
⚫ Do not drink unpasteurized milk.
⚫ Wash vegetables or fruits thoroughly.
⚫ Wash your hands after handling raw meat, seafood, or poultry.
⚫ Make sure all meat, poultry and fish products are well cooked.
⚫ Re-heat leftover foods thoroughly.
Salmonelliosis - Salmonella
⚫ Sources: Raw meats, poultry,
milk and other dairy products.
Raw eggs
⚫ Symptoms start 8-12 hours
after eating and include
abdominal pain, diarrhea, and
sometimes nausea and
vomiting; usually lasting 12-
24 hours in mild cases.

Prevention
⚫ Cook poultry products to internal temperature of 165° F
⚫ Don’t eat raw eggs
⚫ Don’t drink unpasteurized milk
Staphyolcoccus Aureus
⚫ Sources: Occurs when
contaminated foods are left at
room temperature too long.
Meats, poultry, eggs,
macaroni salads, cream filled
pastries.
⚫ Symptom usually occur 30
minutes to 8 hours after
eating including diarrhea,
vomiting, nausea, abdominal
pain, and cramps usually
lasting 24 to 48 hours.

Prevention:
Prepare foods safely. Wash your hands before and after handling food. Also wash them after
using the bathroom or changing diapers.
Wash fruits and vegetables well before eating or cooking.
Store foods safely. Cook, refrigerate, or freeze meat, poultry, eggs, fish, and ready-to-eat
foods within 2 hours. Make sure your refrigerator is set at 40° F (4° C) or colder.

When in doubt, throw it out.

Streptococcus
⚫ Sources: outbreaks from raw
milk, ice cream, eggs, lobster,
salads, custard, and pudding
allowed to stand at room
temperature for several hours
between preparation and
eating.
Prevention:
General Sanitiation. Pasteurize Milk.
⚫ Symptom:sore throat, painful
swallowing, tonsillitis, high
fever, headache, nausea,
vomiting, malaise; occurs 1 to
3 days after eating, lasting a
few days to about a week.
E-Coli
⚫ Sources: raw/undercooked ⚫ Symptoms include nausea,
beef, especially hamburger vomiting, severe bleeding
and unpasteurized milk. diarrhea and abdominal
cramps; usually lasting 5-10
days.
⚫ Can cause death in children
and the elderly.
⚫ Prevention
⚫ Thoroughly cook ground beef
⚫ Avoid unpasteurized milk
⚫ Wash hands carefully
⚫ Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially those that
will not be cooked.
Hepatitis A- Virus
⚫ Sources: Oral fecal contact –
when hands are not washed
thoroughly after using the
restroom, Shell fish in sewer
polluted waters.
⚫ Symptoms begin with
appetite loss, nausea,
vomiting and fever. After 3-
10 days patients can develop
jaundice and can lead to liver
damage.

⚫ Prevention:
⚫ Practice good hygiene
Thoroughly wash your hands often to help protect yourself from infection.
Wash after using the toilet, before preparing food or eating, and after
changing a child's diaper. Also, don't share towels, eating utensils or
toothbrushes.
⚫ The hepatitis A vaccine can prevent infection with the virus.
What is Cross Contamination?
⚫ Cross contamination is the physical movement or transfer
of harmful bacteria from one person, object or place to
another. It is a key factor in food poisoning, and it has four
common sources:
⚫ food,
⚫ people,
⚫ equipment and
⚫ work surfaces.
What is the best way to thaw frozen
foods?
Depending on time – use one of the following
methods:
⚫ Refrigerator – 1-3 days depending on the size of
the product defrosting being thawed.
⚫ Microwave
⚫ Cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes.

**If you use the microwave or cold water, use the

meat immediately.**
The Danger Zone -

40° F to 140° F