Università Roma Tre

The course will illustrate the methods for the detection and quantification of the microorganisms found in food, including any pathogens in relation to the products characteristics and limitations arising from the regulations. In laboratory exercises students will perform some of the most common microbiological analysis of foods in order to determine the microbial load and the suitability or not for human consumption.

Topics covered:
-Microorganisms in foods and complex microbial communities; genera of interest, virtuous, deteriorating, pathogenic activities. Distinction between food quality and safety.
-Relevant microbial groups in food microbiology. Association with foods. Metabolic pathways relevant in food microbiology. Starter cultures. Microbial Food Cultures (MFC). Spontaneous fermentations: quality and safety. The QPS system
-Foodborne pathogens
-Microbiological analysis of foods
-Control of microorganisms in foods
-Shelf-life and predictive microbiology
-Microbiological risk analysis
-Reference methods for pathogen detection
-Alternative methods for pathogen detection
-Molecular techniques for identifying microorganisms: analysis of ribosomal DNA, Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA), Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), sequencing.
Culture-independent and metagenomic techniques applied to the study of complex microbial communities: Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), Next Generation Sequencing (NGS).
-Probiotics. Selection criteria for newly isolated probiotics
-Cell cultures for the evaluation of probiotic activity
-Biocontrol of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria: use of bacteriophages and bacteriocin-producing bacteria
-The problem of antibiotic resistance and implications on the quality/safety of fermented foods
-Genome editing and its applications in food microbiology.
-Critical reading of scientific articles.