Bacterial Growth Effects on Foods

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bacterial growth on food causes illnesses that affect more than 75 million Americans each year. Approximately 5,000 of these people die. Preventing foodborne illnesses requires an understanding of how these harmful bacteria endanger public safety.

Types

• Salmonella is one type of bacteria that affects raw foods like eggs, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, melons and sprouts. E coli affects raw meats.

Exposure

• Food becomes exposed to bacteria at different stages of its development. Staphylococcus bacteria affects food during the preparation stage while salmonella and clostridium perfringens may attack food while it is being prepared or transferred. Calcivirus is a bacteria affecting foods during the handling stage.

Prevention

• Cooking foods thoroughly to the correct internal temperature is the only sure way to kill dangerous bacteria. It is also helpful to refrigerate foods at temperatures below 40 degrees F and to freeze them at 0 degrees F.

Misconceptions

• While many people believe that bacteria do not affect cooked food, the National Institutes of Health warn that even cooked foods must not remain at room temperature for more than two hours or they run the risk of contamination.

Incidence

• According to research at the University of Missouri, bacterial growth on foods is responsible for 67 percent of all incidents of food poisoning.

Factors

• Factors promoting the rapid growth of bacteria on foods include the length of time food is left standing at room temperature, the type of food, the amount of moisture and the internal temperature after cooking.