Question

Outline a Lab procedure used in the food microbiology lab.

This lab procedure should be one that helps food microbiologist identify any pathogens. please mention which type of method.

Answer 1

Bacteria are incredibly diverse and abundantly found in most of the natural world. The majority are beneficial to us in ways we may not fully realize or appreciate. A few, however, are not and will cause disease when we cross paths with them. Pathogenic (harm-causing) and potentially pathogenic bacteria may be found in unexpected places, such as in the food we eat, the water we drink or use for recreation, in soil, on surfaces in your home, and elsewhere.

Rapid methods available to detect bacterial contaminants in food that rely on DNA and antibody testing, plating samples on differential and selective culture media is a tried and true method. The disadvantage is that culture methods take more time, but the advantages include the simplicity of the tests and a higher level of both specificity and sensitivity.

The relatively low number of bacteria present in a food sample limits the sensitivity of all of the various types of tests available to evaluate food safety, including those based on culture. A preliminary step called enrichment culture may be used to amplify the number of bacterial pathogens, by pre-incubating the food sample in a non-selective medium that promotes growth of any bacteria that might be in the sample.