Subject: BIOL 595X Food Microbiology
Credits: 4 (Class 3, Lab 3)
Offered: Every 2 years
Prerequisite: BIOL 221 or 316

Description: Food Microbiology is an applied microbiology course that covers the following four topics: Foodborne Diseases, Food Spoilage, Food Fermentation, and Control of Microbes in Food.  The microorganisms involved and their interactions with food will be discussed. A variety of foods will be analyzed for microbial contamination in the laboratory. Students will learn techniques of handling different types of food samples, detection of common food borne pathogens, such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus, enumeration of total counts, and specific spoilage microbes in food. Both conventional culturing methods and rapid methods will be used.  A wine fermentation project and a special project of food analysis will be done by groups of students.