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Food microbiology is the study of the microorganisms that inhabit, create, or contaminate food.This includes the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage; pathogens that may cause disease (especially if food is improperly cooked or stored); microbes used to produce fermented foods such as cheese, yogurt, bread, beer, and wine; and microbes with other useful roles, such as producing ...
Foodborne illness (also known as foodborne disease and food poisoning) [1] is any illness resulting from the contamination of food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites, [2] as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease), and toxins such as aflatoxins in peanuts, poisonous mushrooms, and various species of beans that have not been boiled for at least 10 minutes.
Several bacteriophages contain toxin genes that become incorporated into the host bacteria genome through infection and render the bacteria toxic. [9] Many well known bacterial toxins are produced from specific strains of the bacteria species that have obtained toxigenicity through lysogenic conversion, pseudolysogeny, or horizontal gene ...
Microorganisms are useful in producing foods, treating waste water, creating biofuels and a wide range of chemicals and enzymes. They are invaluable in research as model organisms . They have been weaponised and sometimes used in warfare and bioterrorism .
Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, mutualistic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria , archaea , protists , fungi , and viruses , [ 2 ] [ 3 ] and have been found to be crucial for immunologic, hormonal, and metabolic homeostasis of their host.
Some bacteria are responsible for the spoilage of food. When bacteria breaks down the food, acids and other waste products are generated in the process. [2] While the bacteria itself may or may not be harmful, the waste products may be unpleasant to taste or may even be harmful to one's health. [3]
Plants live in association with diverse microbial consortia. These microbes, referred to as the plant's microbiota, live both inside (the endosphere) and outside (the episphere) of plant tissues, and play important roles in the ecology and physiology of plants. [5] "The core plant microbiome is thought to comprise keystone microbial taxa that ...
Plants can play host to a wide range of pathogen types, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and even other plants. [35] Notable plant viruses include the papaya ringspot virus , which has caused millions of dollars of damage to farmers in Hawaii and Southeast Asia, [ 36 ] and the tobacco mosaic virus which caused scientist Martinus ...