Acid
|
A
substance with a pH of less than 7.0.
|
Anaerobe
|
An
organism, especially a bacterium, that does not require oxygen or
free oxygen to live.
|
Additives |
Natural
and man-made substances added to a food for an intended purpose (such
as preservatives and colors) or unintentionally (such as pesticides
and lubricants).
|
Aerobe
|
An
organism, especially a bacterium, that requires oxygen to live.
|
Alkaline |
A
substance that has a pH of more than 7.0.
|
Bacteria
|
Single-celled
microscopic organisms. |
Bi-Metallic
steamed thermometer
|
Food
thermometer used to measure product temperatures. |
Biological
Hazard
|
The
danger posed to food safety by the contamination of food with pathogenic
microorganisms or naturally occurring toxins. |
Calibrate
|
To
determine and verify the scale of a measuring instrument with a
standard.
Thermometers used in food establishments are commonly calibrated
using an ice slush method (32°F or 0°C) or a boiling point method
(212°F or 100°C).
|
Chemical
Hazard |
The
danger posed to food safety by the contamination of food by chemical
substances, such as pesticides, detergents, additives, and toxic metals.
|
Chlorine
|
Chemical
used in the form of hypochlorites in sanitizing solutions. Chlorine
compounds can tarnish and corrode metals like pewter, brass, and silver
plate, if used in incorrect concentrations.
|
Clean |
Free of visible soil including food particles and dirt.
|
Colony |
A cluster of microorganisms growing on a surface of or within a nutrient
medium. A colony contains millions of bacteria cells.
|
Contamination
|
Process
of adulterating, soiling or infecting with unwanted micro-organisms.
|
Cross Contamination
|
Transfer
of harmful organisms between items.
|
Disinfect
|
To
free from infection especially by destroying harmful microorganisms.
|
Facultative
|
Bacteria
that can grow either with or without free oxygen present.
|
Foodborne
Illness/Disease |
Illnesses
which result from ingestion of contaminating microbial pathogens (i.e.,
bacteria, mold, viruses), chemicals, parasites, viruses or from naturally
occurring toxins or poisons. This curriculum only deals with microbial
foodborne diseases. Bacterial foodborne disease are of two major types:
intoxication and infection.
|
Foodborne
Infection |
Illness
caused by ingestion of live pathogens that grow and multiply inside
the intestinal tract of animals and man or are passed to other organs
(i.e. Salmonella enteritidis, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes.)
|
Foodborne
Intoxication |
Illness caused by ingestion of food containing a toxin (metabolic
byproduct) that was formed and excreted into the food as a result
of pathogenic microbial growth (i.e. Clostridium botulinium, Staphyloccccus
aureus.)
|
Food Contact
Surface |
Any surface of equipment, utensils, containers, wrappings that come
in direct contact with food.
|
Food Safety
|
Protecting the food supply from microbial, chemical (i.e. rancidity,
browning) and physical (i.e. drying out, infestation) hazards or contamination
that may occur during all stages of food production and handling-growing,
harvesting, processing, transporting, preparing, distributing and
storing. The goal of food safety monitoring is to keep food wholesome.
|
Foodborne
toxin mediated infection e-coli o15h7 |
A disease that results from eating a food containing a large number
of disease-causing microorganisms. Once ingested, the human intestine
provides perfect conditions for the microorganisms to produce toxins.
Clostridium perfringens cause this type of illness.
|
Fungi |
A
group of multi cellular organisms that feed on once living organisms
or act as parasites on living organisms. Examples include molds, mildews,
mushrooms and yeasts.
|
GRAS substances
|
GRAS
stands for generally recognized as safe. These are substances added
to foods that have been shown to be safe based on a long history of
common usage in food.
|
HACCP (Hazard
Analysis Critical Control Point) |
A
food safety and self-inspection system that highlights potentially
hazardous foods and how they are handled in the food service environment.
|
Hazard |
Unacceptable contamination (of a biological, chemical, or physical
nature), unacceptable microbial growth, or unacceptable survival of
microorganisms of a concern to food safety, or persistence is present.
|
Host |
A human, animal, or plant in which another organism lives and nourishes
itself. |
Irradiation |
The use of radiation in food processing to lengthen shelf life by
eliminating pathogenic microorganisms. It is considered a food additive
and is regulated by the FDA's
|
Mesophile |
Microorganisms
that grow best at moderate temperatures, with optimum growth at
77°-113°F
(25°-45°C).
|
Microorganisms
or microbes |
Bacteria, viruses, molds, and other tiny organisms that are too small
to be seen with the naked eye. The organisms are also referred to
as microbes because they cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope.
|
Mold |
Multi cellular fungi that may grow on food items such as bread, cheese,
fruit and jam. They usually are not a cause of foodborne illness,
but in the right environment, cause food spoilage.
|
Parasite |
An animal or plant that lives in or on another from whose body it
obtains nourishment.
|
Pathogen |
Any disease-causing agent, usually a living microorganism.
|
Pathogenic |
Capable of causing disease; harmful; any disease-causing agent.
|
pH |
The symbol that describes the acidity or alkalinity of a substance,
such as food. |
Physical
Hazard |
Particles or fragments of items not supposed to be in foods.
|
Potentially
Hazardous Foods |
A food that is natural or man-made and is in a form capable of supporting
the rapid and progressive growth of infectious and toxin-producing
microorganisms. The foods usually have high protein and moisture content
and low acidity.
|
Psychrophile |
Microorganisms
that grow best at cold temperatures, with optimum growth at 41°-68° F (5° -20°C)
and are capable of growing at refrigerated and room temperatures.
|
Reservoir |
An alternate host or passive carrier of a pathogenic microorganism.
This may be soil, animals, or humans.
|
Sanitary
|
Clean
and free of harmful microorganisms and other contaminants.
|
Sanitation |
The act of reducing microbial organisms on cleaned food contact surfaces
to a safe level.
|
Sanitizer
|
Approved
substance or method to use when sanitizing.
|
Spoilage |
Significant food deterioration, usually caused by bacteria and enzymes,
that produces a noticeable change in the taste, odor, or appearance
of the product. |
Spore |
The inactive or dormant state of some rod-shaped bacteria
|
Sterile |
The absence of all living microorganisms.
|
Temperature
Danger Zone |
Temperatures
between 41° and 140°F (5° and 60°C) at
which bacteria grow best.
|
Thermophile |
Microorganisms
that grow best at temperatures above 110° F (43° C).
|
Toxin |
A
poison. Specifically, a poison produced by a living microorganism.
|
Vegetative
state |
The active state of a bacterium where the cell takes in nourishment,
grows, and produces wastes.
|
Virus |
Any group of infectious microorganisms that reproduce only in living
cells. They cause diseases such as mumps and Hepatitis A and can be
transmitted through food.
|
Water Activity
(Aw) |
A measure of the free moisture in a food. Pure water has a water activity
of 1.0 and potentially hazardous foods have a water activity of 0.85
and higher.
|
Yeast |
A
single cell organism which as it grows converts its food through
a
process known as fermentation into alcohol and carbon dioxide. To
multiply and grow, yeast needs moisture, food in the forms of sugar
or starch and a warm temperature (70°-80° F is best). Yeast
has not been known to cause illness when present in foods but can
cause damage to food products and will change taste. It is useful
in making products such as bread, wine and beer.
|