1. The Microworld
Objective: Identify factors that affect foodborne bacteria (FAT TOM), characteristics of TCS foods, major foodborne pathogens, preventions, and characteristics of naturally occurring toxins.

2. Microworld
Microorganisms: small, living organisms that can be seen only through a microscope.
Pathogens: microorganisms that cause illnesses
Toxins: the poisons in foodborne pathogens

3. What do Pathogens Need to Grow?
FAT TOM:
Food: The host
Acidity: PH level of
Time: 4 hours or more
Temperature: temperature danger zone *F
Oxygen: the presence or absences of
Moisture: water activity of .85 or higher

4. Foods Most Likely to Become Unsafe

5. How to Keep Foods Safe By controlling FAT TOM
Operations will most likely be able to control Time and Temperature only.
TCS foods: Time and Temperature Control for Safety.

6. Biological Pathogens
Viruses
Bacteria
Parasites
Fungi

7. Virus The leading cause of foodborne illness Characteristics:
Can survive refrigeration
Cannot grow in food, but once eaten, they can grown in a person’s intestines
Can contaminate both food and water
Can be transmitted from person to person, people to food, and from people to food contact surfaces.

8. Virus Continued Prevention: Illnesses:
Keep foodhandlers who are vomiting, have diarrhea, or jaundice from working
WASH YOUR HANDS
Minimize bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods
Illnesses:
Hepatitis A
Norovirus gastronteritis

9. Bacteria Characteristics: Prevention: Illnesses:
Keeping food out of the temperature danger zone
Grow rapidly in the right FAT TOM conditions
Changing into a different form, called spores, to survive
Some produce toxins in food as they grow and die
Prevention:
Control time and temperature
Prevent cross-contamination
Personal hygiene
Purchase form approved, reputable suppliers
Illnesses:
Bacillus Cereus
Listeriosis
Hemorrhagic colitis
Clostridium perfringens
botulism

10. Parasites Characteristics: Prevention: Illnesses:
They must be in the meat of another animal, called a host, to survive.
They can use many animals as hosts
They can be found in the feces of animals and people
Can contaminate both food and water, particularly water used to irrigate produce
Prevention:
Purchase from approved and reputable suppliers
Illnesses:
Anisakiasis
Cryptosporidiosis
Ciardiasis

11. Fungi Characteristics: Prevention Mold: Yeast:
They spoil and sometimes cause illnesses
Some produce toxins
Grow under almost any condition. Mostly in acidic foods with low water activity
Cooler or freezer temperatures may slow their growth, but will not kill them
Yeast:
Spoil food quickly. Signs are a smell or taste of alcohol, and white or pink discoloration or slime
Like molds grow well in acidic, high water activity foods.
Prevention
Throw out all moldy food, unless the mold is a natural product
Cut away all moldy areas in hard cheese, salami and firm fruit and vegetables

12. Biological Toxins Seafood Toxins:
Cannot be tasted or smelled, destroyed by freezing, or cooking.
Toxins are produced by the seafood itself. Ex: pufferfish, moray eels, and freshwater minnows.
Other toxins occur when predatory fish consume smaller fish that has eaten the toxin, and when shellfish eat algae that have the toxin.
Prevention: purchase from approved and reputable supplier
Illnesses:
Srombroid poisoning
Ciguarera fish poisoning
Paralytic shellfish poisoning
Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
Amnesic shellfish poisoning

13. Produce Produce has become vehicles for pathogens.
Due to the growing demand for healthier alternatives year round operations are purchasing larger quantities, shipping greater distances, and purchasing from other countries.
Prevention: Eat seasonally grown produce. And buy from a local or organic farm.

14. Questions
What food items are better able to support the growth of pathogens?
What two FAT TOM conditions are easiest for an establishment to control?
How can an outbreak of Norovirus be prevented?
What measures should be taken to prevent a seafood specific foodborne illness?
How can plant toxins be prevented from getting into food?