COURSE OVERVIEW:
There has been much concern in the past years over the dramatic increase in food poisoning incidents reported to the government agencies that monitor trends in illness.
As well as causing physical discomfort, food poisoning can be expensive to the affected person, can cost industry money through sickness absence, can be expensive to treat and can have severe results for the business that made or sold the food. The costs to caterers will include:
a) loss of business from closure and decline in product confidence;
b) costs of renovation, cleaning and replacement of equipment;
c) costs of legal action;
d) increased insurance premiums;
e) costs of promotion of company or business;
f) salary costs of additional or replacement staff.
Food microbiology is the study of the microorganisms that inhibit, create, or contaminate food, including the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage, pathogens that may cause disease especially if food is improperly cooked or stored, those used to produce fermented foods such as cheese, yogurt, bread, beer, and wine, and those with other useful roles such as producing probiotics.
Microorganisms are an essential part of our life. These are found in all the foods we consume and have been of great benefit to our diet; however, they also have caused food poisoning, serious illness and even death.
This course focuses on the microbiology of foods, with an emphasis on the catering and hospitality industry. It covers methods to enhance food safety in the kitchen by effectively managing microbiological risks.
The course identifies different categories of food poisoning, including bacteria, moulds, fungi, toxins, and viruses. It explores common routes of contamination and provides practical tools for maintaining and improving food safety in the kitchen. Critical areas where microorganisms tend to grow are identified, along with proper food handling practices and temperature control. Additionally, the course examines bacteriological standards and microbiological criteria for foods.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:
· The categories of food poisoning
· The different types of bacteria
· The characteristics of bacteria
· How bacteria are differentiated by their shape?
· How bacteria can release poisons known as toxins?
· The process of identifying bacteria
· The multiplication of bacteria and factors influencing multiplication
· How bacteria grow and multiplies in a wide variety of foodstuffs?
· The nutrients for bacteria
· pH and bacterial growth
· What enables bacteria to grow?
· The factors influencing the growth of mould
· The factors that effects fungi growth
· The significance of moulds and other fungi to the caterer
· Prevention and control of mould growth
· What are toxins?
· How food poisoning organisms can affect people?
· The clostridium perfringens
· The Escherichia coli
· The campylobacter and salmonella
· The staphylococcal toxin
· The botulinum toxin
· The bacillus cereus organism
· What are viruses?
· The Hepatitis A disease and symptoms
· The Hepatitis E disease
· Viral gastroenteritis and symptoms
· The viral contamination of food
· The viruses transmitted through shellfish
· The viral contamination through fruit and vegetables
· The secondary contamination by food handlers
· Cross-contamination via food handlers, insects and chemicals
· The four main vehicles in cross-contamination
· The two main routes by which cross-contamination can occur
· How to control cross-contamination?
· How to prevent cross-contamination?
· The bacteriological standards
· Specifications for food products
· The categories used when adopting microbiological specification
· The advantages of microbiological standards
· The maintenance of standards
· The procedures to keep micro-organisms to a minimum
· The microbiological criteria for foods
· The routine testing for microbiological contamination
· The types of microbiological criteria and their legal status
· The microbiological standards, specifications and guidelines
· Sampling and analysis
COURSE DURATION:
The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.
COURSE DELIVERY:
Purchase and download course content.
ASSESSMENT:
A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.
CERTIFICATION:
Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.