Application of predictive microbiological tools for assuring the health safety of food

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 Application of predictive microbiological tools for assuring the health safety of food

 

Key words:
predictive microbiology, food safety, Listeria monocytogenes, feta cheese.

 

Summary
This paper evaluates the use of available predictive program applications to predict microbial behaviour in food  safety based on the example of feta-type cheese. The comparative material was obtained from two free-of-charge  online platforms: Combase Predictor (CP) and WaMa Predictor (WMP) operating based on, among other things, the  primary model by Baranyi and Roberts. The growth curves for Listeria monocytogenes generated with the WMP  application (the results from the studies on food products) and CP (the results from the studies on synthetic media)  were compared. The input physical and chemical parameters of feta-type cheese were defined in the CP application:  pH at 4.5 and the content of NaCl at 5%. By analyzing the predictions for L. monocytogenes behaviour generated in  the CP application, an overestimation of the cell growth of this pathogen was observed, which explicitly allows for a “safety margin” and for using the application to estimate the microbiological risk. 

 

mgr inż. Kamil ADAMCZEWSKI dr inż. Jarosław KOWALIK
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
Faculty of Food Science
Department of Dairy Science and Quality Management
ul. Oczapowskiego 7, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
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