MICROBIAL GROWTH

IN FOODS

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 MICROBIAL GROWTH
CHARACTERISTICS

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 YEAST AND MOLD
Yeast
Asexual: Budding, Fission,
Asexual spores (conidiospores)
Sexual: Sporulation (producing ascospores)

Mold
Asexual: Budding, Fission, Asexual Spores
Sexual: Sporulation

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 BACTERIA

Binary Fission (division in half)

Single cell divided into two cells

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 BACTERIA
Bacterial Growth Curve

1.Lag Phase
2.Log Phase
3.Stationary
Phase
4.Death
Phase

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 BACTERIA
Lag Phase
Adaptive phase
Population

does not change

Cells assimilate
nutrients
Cells increased
in size

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 BACTERIA
Log Phase
Known as
Exponential phase/
Logarithmic phase
Cell number
increased
Cell population
differ in metabolic rate
causing difference
in multiplication
Growth rate following first order
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 BACTERIA
Stationary Phase
Growth rate slows down
Cell population enters
stationary phase
Nutrients reduced and
waste products
accumulated, causing
few cells die and few
cells multiply, keeping
the living population stable
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 BACTERIA
Death Phase
Rate of cell death higher
than cell multiplication

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 FACTORS INFLUENCING
MICROBIAL GROWTH IN FOODS

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)

Intrinsic factors include nutrients, water activity (Aw), pH,

oxidation-reduction (redox) potential.

Nutrients
Nutrients are essential for microorganism to synthesize cellular
components and energy (for growing purpose).
Necessary nutrients derived from immediate environment of a
microbial cell
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)

Nutrients
Carbohydrate
Protein
Lipid
Minerals and Vitamins

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
Carbohydrate
Food carbohydrates are metabolized by microorganisms
principally to supply energy through several metabolic
pathways.

Major carbohydrates present in different foods, can be

grouped:
Monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, mannose,
galactose, xylose, arabinose, ribose, etc.)
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
Carbohydrate
Disaccharides (lactose, sucrose, maltose)
Oligosaccharides (raffinose, stachyose)
Polysaccharides (starch, glycogen, cellulose, inulin,
hemicellulose, pectins, etc.)

Lactose is found only in milk, or milk product, glycogen is

present in animal tissues, oligosaccharides and
polysaccharides normally present in plant origin food
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
Protein
Simple food protein are polymers of amino acids i.e.
albumins (in egg), globulins (in milk), glutelins (gluten in
cereal), prolamins (zein in grains), and albuminoids
(collagen in muscle).

Microorganisms differ greatly in their ability to

metabolize food protein.

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)

Protein
Amino acids inside microbial cells are metabolized via
different pathways to synthesize cellular components,
energy and various by-products.

Proteins are present higher quantities in animal origin

food than plants (except in legumes and nuts)

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
Lipid
Lipid in foods include: fatty acids, glycerides,
phospholipids, waxes and sterols.
Lipids are relatively higher in foods of animal origin than
in foods of plant origin, except in nuts, oil seeds,
coconuts and olives.
Many microorganisms can produce extracellular lipases
that can hydrolyze glycerides to fatty acids and glycerol.
Fatty acid transported in cells and used for energy
synthesis.
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)

Minerals and Vitamins

Microorganisms need elements in small amounts, such
as phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfur,
manganese, and potassium (most food have these
elements in sufficient amounts)

Many microorganisms can synthesize vitamin B in which

foods also contains most of this vitamin.

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)

Water Activity (Aw)

Aw: measure of availability of water for biological
functions and relates to water present in food in free
form

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
Water
Activity
(Aw) of
Foods

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
Aw and Microbial Growth
Free water in food is necessary for microbial growth (to
transport nutrients and remove waste materials, carry
out enzyme reactions, synthesize cellular materials and
take part in other biochemical reaction i.e. hydrolysis of
a polymer to monomers.

Each microbial species has optimum, maximum, and

minimum Aw
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
Minimum
Aw for
Growth of
Micro-
organisms

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
pH
pH indicates the hydrogen ion concentrations in a
system and is expressed as [H+]

It ranges from 0 to 14

On the basis of pH, foods can be grouped as high

acid foods (pH < 4.6) and low acid foods (pH 4.6)

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
pH

Ranges of
Selected
Foods

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
pH and Microbial Growth
pH of food has a profound effect on the growth and
viability of microbial cells.

Each species has an optimum and a range of pH

growth.

When pH in a food is reduced below the lower limit for

growth of a microbial species, the cells lose viability.
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
pH
Ranges for
Microbial
Growth

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
Redox Potential
Redox or oxidation-reduction
(O-R) potential measures
the potential difference
in a system generated by
coupled reaction in which
one substance is oxidized
and second substance is
reduced simultaneously

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
O-R and Microbial Growth
Redox potential in food is influenced by its chemical
composition, specific processing treatment given and
storage condition (related to air).
In biological systems, oxidation and reduction of substances
are the primary means of generating energy
Growth of microorganism and their ability to generate
energy by specific metabolic reactions depend on redox
potential of foods.
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 INTRINSIC FACTORS (FOOD ENVIRONMENT)
O-R and Microbial Growth
On the basis of growth in the presence and absence of
oxygen, microorganisms grouped as:
Aerobes: need oxygen for energy generation
Facultative anaerobes: can generate energy with or without
presence of oxygen
Anaerobes (obligate): can no grow in the presence of small
amounts of oxygen
Microaerophiles: grow better in the presence of less
oxygen
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 EXTRINSIC FACTORS

Extrinsic factors important in microbial growth in a

food include the environmental conditions in which it
is stored.

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 EXTRINSIC FACTORS
Temperature
Microbial growth is accomplished through enzymatic
reactions. Every 10C rise in temperature, the catalytic
rate of enzyme doubles.
Temperature influences enzyme reaction (important for
microbial growth)
Foods are exposed to different temperatures from time
of production until consumption (high heat, UHT,
refrigeration or freezing storage, and ambient)
Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017
 EXTRINSIC FACTORS

Temperature
Base on their temperature of growth, microorganisms
in foods are divided into three groups:
Thermophiles relatively high temperature
Mesophiles ambient temperature
Psychrophiles cold temperature; (include in it
psychrotrophs which grow at refrigerated temperature
(0 5 C))

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 EXTRINSIC FACTORS
Temperature
Ranges of
Growth for
Micro-
organisms

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

EXTRINSIC FACTORS

Temperature
Ranges of
Selected
Microorganisms

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017

 References
Banwart, G.J. 1989. Basic Food Microbiology Second Edition. Chapman & Hall: New York.

Baskoro, R.M.T. dan J.R. Wattimena terjemahan Schlegel, H.G. and K. Schmidt. 1994.
Mikrobiologi Umum. Gadjah Mada University Press: Yogyakarta.

Bibek, Ray. 2005. Fundamental Food Microbiology 3rd Edition. CRC Press: Florida.

Fardiaz, S. 1992. Mikrobiologi Pangan 1. PT. Gramedia: Jakarta.

Pelczar, JR., M.J. and R.D. Reid. 1958. Microbiology. McGraw-Hill Company, Inc.: New York.

Food Microbiology- Microbial Growth in Food, 2017