Detection and Identification of Harmful Microbes: 1st SAFOODNET Workshop

Harmful microbes and even pathogens may enter the manufacturing process and reach the end product in several ways e.g. through raw materials, air, water and chemicals employed in the process, process surfaces or factory personnel. The microbes entering the process can under suitable conditions grow very quickly and consequently cause drastic changes in the microbial population in vulnerable process stages and sites. Occasional proliferation of microbes from stagnant areas e.g. from biofilm formations in dead ends can contaminate the entire system and must be detected rapidly to avoid human suffering due to illnesses and financial losses due to product withdrawals. The availability of microbial monitoring methods enables detection of developing microbial problems in the food processing area as early as possible. The main requirements for good microbial methods are reliability, sensitivity, selectivity, rapidity and economy. This workshop entitled Detection and identification of harmful microbes, which was held in Brno (Czech Republic) 10th-12th of December 2007, focused on microbiological methods and methodology available for detection, identification and tracking of harmful microbes and pathogens both in industry and research. The workshop also dealt with practical exercises in detecting Salmonella spp., Mycobacterium spp., Listeria spp. and Staphylococcus spp. The participant abstracts on detection of microbial contaminations, antibiotic resistance phenomena in microbes and microbial risk management in food processing are published in this publication.