Modern Food Microbiology

The branch of biology which deals with the microorganisms responsible for inhibiting, creating and contaminating food is called food microbiology. It focuses on the microbes and pathogens responsible for food spoilage, diseases, and production of fermented foods like cheese, beer, yoghurt, bread and wine. Depending upon their application, bacteria studied under this discipline can be classified into lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria, proteolytic bacteria, lipolytic bacteria, saccharolytic bacteria, etc. The major areas of research under food microbiology are food safety, food testing and fermentation. The development of biopolymers such as Alginate and Poly- -glutamic acid is also undertaken this discipline. This book presents the complex subject of food microbiology in the most comprehensible and easy to understand language. Some of the diverse topics covered herein address the varied branches that fall under this category. The readers would gain knowledge that would broaden their perspective about modern food microbiology.