In this fast moving, highly mobile world, international food trade and foreign travel are increasing, bringing important social and economic benefits to particularly developing countries. Eating habits too, have undergone major changes in many countries over the last two decades. Food consumption has increased due to a growing population worldwide and so have patterns of consumption. Eating out has become very popular as people want to experiment with new cooking styles, delight with new tastes and enjoy a range of products. The consumption of raw or undercooked vegetable to retain the natural taste and to preserve heat-labile nutrient is an increasing trend. This may be risky practice especially if contaminated water is used for irrigation or washing of the vegetable. Cultural practices such as consumption of raw or undercooked meat, particularly from infected animals, may also be a source of microbial infection.
By the end of this module, participants should be able to, explain the role of food hygiene in preventing foodborne illness due to contaminated food, explain the benefits of good food hygiene practice and the costs of poor hygiene practices, explain the different causes of foodborne illness. In addition, describe the different types of microorganisms found in food with appropriate examples, describe the structure, shape and size of bacteria with appropriate examples, explain the factors influencing growth of bacteria in food, explain the process by which bacteria reproduce and the time for multiplication, describe how microorganisms are spread and the preventative measures and lastly explain the methods used to control microbial growth.
Course Content
- Introduction to Food Hygiene
- Types of Micro-Organisms
- Factors influencing microbial growth
- Microbial Contamination and its Control
- The Control of Microbial Growth