Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of Food
The rapid growth of world population and increase in living standards have led to an increase in the demand for high-quality, safe food. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that by 2050 the demand for food will increase by 60%, and production of animal protein...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| author | Renata Urban-Chmiel Jacek Osek Kinga Wieczorek |
| author_facet | Renata Urban-Chmiel Jacek Osek Kinga Wieczorek |
| author_sort | Renata Urban-Chmiel |
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| description | The rapid growth of world population and increase in living standards have led to an increase in the demand for high-quality, safe food. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that by 2050 the demand for food will increase by 60%, and production of animal protein will increase by 1.7% a year, with meat production to increase by nearly 70%, dairy products by 55%, and aquaculture by as much as 90%. Microbial contamination of food is a significant problem for the accessibility of safe food which does not pose a threat to the life and health of consumers. Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Yersinia are responsible for thousands of food-borne infections in humans. Currently, numerous programs are being developed to combat pathogenic bacteria in the food supply chain, especially at the primary production stage. These approaches include physical, chemical, biological, and other strategies and methods used to inhibit the bacterial growth of bacteria or completely eliminate the pathogens from the food chain. Therefore, an extremely important goal is to provide safe food and control its quality by eliminating pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. However, the use of chemicals in food preservation has negative effects for both the consumption values of food and the natural environment. Therefore, it seems absolutely necessary to implement measures utilizing the most environmentally friendly and effective techniques for controlling microbial contamination in food. There is a great need to develop ecological methods in food production which guarantee adequate safety. One of these methods is the use of bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) naturally occurring in the environment. Given the above, the aim of this study was to present the most natural, ecological, and alternative methods of food preservation with regard to the most common foodborne zoonotic bacteria. We also present methods for reducing the occurrence of microbial contamination in food, thus to produce maximally safe food for consumers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bb5a28fd1be64cbe92544f3e49b7eb64 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-bb5a28fd1be64cbe92544f3e49b7eb642025-08-20T03:14:43ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-05-0114549210.3390/pathogens14050492Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of FoodRenata Urban-Chmiel0Jacek Osek1Kinga Wieczorek2Department of Veterinary Prevention and Avian Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, PolandDepartment of Microbiology of Food and Feed, National Veterinary Research Institute, Partyzantów 57, 24-100 Pulawy, PolandDepartment of Microbiology of Food and Feed, National Veterinary Research Institute, Partyzantów 57, 24-100 Pulawy, PolandThe rapid growth of world population and increase in living standards have led to an increase in the demand for high-quality, safe food. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that by 2050 the demand for food will increase by 60%, and production of animal protein will increase by 1.7% a year, with meat production to increase by nearly 70%, dairy products by 55%, and aquaculture by as much as 90%. Microbial contamination of food is a significant problem for the accessibility of safe food which does not pose a threat to the life and health of consumers. Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Yersinia are responsible for thousands of food-borne infections in humans. Currently, numerous programs are being developed to combat pathogenic bacteria in the food supply chain, especially at the primary production stage. These approaches include physical, chemical, biological, and other strategies and methods used to inhibit the bacterial growth of bacteria or completely eliminate the pathogens from the food chain. Therefore, an extremely important goal is to provide safe food and control its quality by eliminating pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. However, the use of chemicals in food preservation has negative effects for both the consumption values of food and the natural environment. Therefore, it seems absolutely necessary to implement measures utilizing the most environmentally friendly and effective techniques for controlling microbial contamination in food. There is a great need to develop ecological methods in food production which guarantee adequate safety. One of these methods is the use of bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) naturally occurring in the environment. Given the above, the aim of this study was to present the most natural, ecological, and alternative methods of food preservation with regard to the most common foodborne zoonotic bacteria. We also present methods for reducing the occurrence of microbial contamination in food, thus to produce maximally safe food for consumers.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/492food preservationbacteriophagesfoodborne diseasesmicrobiological controlfood safety |
| spellingShingle | Renata Urban-Chmiel Jacek Osek Kinga Wieczorek Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of Food Pathogens food preservation bacteriophages foodborne diseases microbiological control food safety |
| title | Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of Food |
| title_full | Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of Food |
| title_fullStr | Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of Food |
| title_full_unstemmed | Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of Food |
| title_short | Methods of Controlling Microbial Contamination of Food |
| title_sort | methods of controlling microbial contamination of food |
| topic | food preservation bacteriophages foodborne diseases microbiological control food safety |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/492 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT renataurbanchmiel methodsofcontrollingmicrobialcontaminationoffood AT jacekosek methodsofcontrollingmicrobialcontaminationoffood AT kingawieczorek methodsofcontrollingmicrobialcontaminationoffood |