BIOL 512 - Food Microbiology

(4 hours) Prerequisites: One semester each of microbiology, freshman chemistry, and organic chemistry. This course discusses the different aspects of food properties and their relation to shelf life, food spoilage, and microbial growth in foods. Students will also be exposed to detection and enumeration methods used in food to determine microbial quality of the food, as well as how to control microbial growth in foods using chemical and physical methods. Food-borne diseases and pathogenesis will also be discussed in great length, along with principles of food fermentations. Students will learn how to perform different enumeration methods: direct microscopic count, standard plate count, and most probable number, and how to perform microbial assays for different food groups. Note: This course cannot be challenged.