Microbial Stress Adaptation and Food Safety

The first book to address the subject, Microbial Stress Adaptation and Food Safety emphasizes the implications of stress adaptation and its consequences for food safety. It covers the basic science, kinetics, mechanisms, assessment, and control of stress adaptation and its impact on the safety of foods produced by minimal processing or non-thermal technologies. World renowned experts in the field provide detailed accounts of problems associated with stress adaptation and suggest methods for overcoming these problems.

The book begins with an introduction to the stress adaptation phenomenon and its implications for the safety of food processed by novel technologies. Then it addresses the responses of pathogens to physical and chemical stresses encountered during food processing, such as heat, pressure, dehydration, radiation, added organic acids, and naturally occurring antimicrobials. The adaptation of food microbiota to stress as a survival strategy is covered next, followed by an examination of the broad spectrum of stresses that may increase a pathogen's tenacity and resistance to processing.

Other topics include stress adaptation of beneficial lactic acid bacteria and how resistance or adaptation to stress in the processing environment relates to pathogens' ability to cause disease. Finally, the book presents strategies to overcome stress adaptation in foodborne pathogens. The authors suggest practical control measures and emphasize the need for future research to counteract the stress adaptation phenomenon.

Microbial Stress Adaptation and Food Safety proposes practical solutions to microbial stress adaptation and its hazardous effects on food safety and human health.

New-generation foods, including minimally and nonthermally processed products, are gaining popularity among consumers because of the fresh-like taste and texture. However, processes used in making these foods are conducive to stress adaptation in foodborne pathogens. Recently publicized foodborne disease outbreaks have raised public awareness about these food safety issues. This is the first book to focus on the safety of new-generation foods and the adaptation of pathogens to processing conditions used in the manufacture of these products. It addresses the basic science, kinetics, mechanisms, assessment, and control of stress adaptation, and implication of this phenomenon for the safety of foods produced through minimal processing or nonthermal technologies.