Microscopic and Macroscopic Identification of Moulds in foods

Like bacteria, moulds play an important role in foods. They can usually be seen by the naked eye (unlike bacteria). They are multi-cellular, consist of many cells connected with together.

Concept of Organic Foods

Introduction
Organic food from consumer point of view is a food which has been produced to certain standard level to be acceptable and considered as “natural” food.

Legally, it is not allowed to use any chemical materials such as conventional non-organic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides (with strict regulations a few of them may be allowed with strict regulations).

Hazard Analysis of vegetable-based food products

Potential Hazards associated with handling and processing vegetables

Fresh Vegetables

Vegetables and herbs are grown close to the soil. Food spoilage is often caused by micro-organisms native to that environment, i.e. moulds and yeasts, but bacteria such as the lactic acid types are also often involved.
Vegetables can also be contaminated by human handlers (most common type of organism is staphylococcus aureus).

HACCP Procedure

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a detailed procedure of food safety implemented by evaluation and control of chemical, microbiological, physical hazards during the whole processes of a food preparation and production from raw material handling to manufacturing and dispatch and distribution.

Beneficial effects of probiotics and prebiotics

Introduction

Probiotics

Large number of micro-organisms live on various sections of human body (skin, mouth and gastrointestinal tracts) that are exposed to the outside environment.
These are known as commensal microbes have associated with humans. They are greatly interdependent with them.

The highest concentration of commensal organisms believed to be in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that has above 400m2 surface area (this makes up the second largest surface area of the body).
The GI tract can harbour high extent of flora (>500 various bacterial species) among which some are beneficial, e.g. stimulating and supporting the host from invading bacteria and viruses and assisting digestion.