SUBMITTED BY

ALEN MATHEW KARKKAMPOYKAYIL

HND in Hospitality Management & Advance
Diploma in Culinary Arts

FOOD SAFETY : A MATTER OF ULTIMATE

CONCERN

The present age is the age of materialism. Everybody is concerned about time discarding ultimate gift of
health. Hence the concern for food safety is the need of present hours.

Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent

foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health
hazards.

In considering industry to market practices, food safety considerations include the origins of food including the
practices relating to food labelling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticide residues, as well as policies on

biotechnology and food and guidelines for the management of governmental import and export inspection
and certification systems for foods. In considering market to consumer practices, the usual thought is that food
ought to be safe in the market and the concern is safe delivery and preparation of the food for the consumer.

It is well said that Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for soul.

WHY FOOD SAFETY: THE NEED OF HOUR

BIOLOGICAL AGENTS OF FOOD POISONING:

When bacteria breaks down the food, acids and other waste products
are created in the process. While the bacteria itself may or may not be
harmful, the waste products may be unpleasant to taste or may even be
harmful to one's health. Such as

STAPHYLOCOCCUS
Staphylococci do not cause illness until they get onto
food
and
grow and multiply.
While they
are doing this they produce a
toxin
(poison). It is the toxin which causes the illness. The toxin is
not destroyed by cooking the food.
Symptoms of staphylococcus food poisoning usually
between 1 and 8 hours after eating the infected food.

appear

Infection of staphylococcus food poisoning can we prevented by

using good quality fresh raw materials for preparation of raw material
and prevent long exposure to water

Clostridium perfringens

Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is one of the most common causes

of food poisoning in the United States
Cooking kills the growing C. perfringens cells that cause food poisoning, but

not necessarily the spores that can grow into new cells. If cooked food is not
promptly served or refrigerated, the spores can grow and produce new
cells.
Symptoms of Clostridium perfringens are Diarrhea and abdominal cramps

(not fever or vomiting)

Inflection can be prevented i.e. If you have watery diarrhea, eat starchy
foods, such as potatoes, noodles, rice, wheat and oatmeal. Other good
choices are saltine crackers, bananas, soup and boiled vegetables. If

you aren't hungry, you may need a liquid diet at first. After your diarrhea
clears up, you may have temporary difficulty digesting milk and milkbased products.

E. coli

The worst type of E. coli, causes bloody diarrhea and can

sometimes cause kidney failure and even death.
The
infection produces toxic substances that destroy red blood
cells, causing kidney injury. HUS can require intensive care,
kidney dialysis, and transfusions.
Symptoms include Severe diarrhea that is often bloody,
severe abdominal pain, and vomiting. Usually, little or no fever
is present.

Prevention of Infection includes measures such as

Be careful to avoid cross contamination when preparing and

cooking food, especially if beef is being served. This requires
being very mindful of the surfaces (especially cutting boards)
and the utensils used during meal preparation that have
come in contact with uncooked beef and other meats.

Campylobacter

Campylobacter is one of the most common causes of food

poisoning in the United States.

Their sources are Raw and undercooked poultry,

unpasteurized milk, contaminated water.
Symptoms include Diarrhea, cramps, fever, and vomiting;
diarrhea may be bloody.

Prevention of infection include measure such as

Defrost meat and poultry in the refrigerator. Place the item

on a low shelf, on a wide pan, lined with paper towel;
ensure that drippings do not land on foods below. If there
is not enough time to defrost in the refrigerator, then use
the microwave.

Never leave food out at room temperature (either during

preparation or after cooking) for more than 2 hours.

Avoid raw milk and products made from raw milk. Drink
only pasteurized milk products.

CHEMICAL HAZARD

Food contaminants and other adulterating substances are chemicals that may be present in
foods at levels that could impact the overall safety and/or quality of foods.

Certain chemicals are manufactured for industrial use and because they are very stable, they do
not break down easily. If released to the environment, they can enter the food chain.

Other chemicals are naturally occurring, but industrial activities may increase their mobility,
allowing them to enter the food chain at higher levels than would otherwise occur.

Contamination during the preparation and packaging of processed foods.

Contamination of raw food commodities where grown (in the case of plants) or where raised (in
the case of animals).

Contamination during transport or storage.

FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT: APPROPRIATE

MEASURES

Food preservation involves preventing the growth

of bacteria, fungi (such as yeasts), or other microorganisms (although some methods work by
introducing benign bacteria or fungi to the food),
as well as slowing the oxidation of fats that cause
rancidity. Food preservation may also include
processes that inhibit visual deterioration, such as
the enzymatic browning reaction in apples after
they are cut during food preparation.

METHODS OF FOOD PRESERVATION

Traditional techniques:

Drying

Drying is one of the oldest techniques used to hamper the decomposition of food
products. As early as 12,000 B.C., Middle Eastern and Oriental cultures were drying
foods using the power of the sun. Vegetables and fruit are naturally dried by the sun
and wind, but "still houses" were built in areas that did not have enough sunlight to dry
things. A fire would be built inside the building to provide the heat to dry the various
fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Cooling

Cooling preserves foods by slowing down the growth and reproduction of microorganisms and the action of enzymes that cause food to rot.

Freezing

Freezing is also one of the most commonly used processes, both commercially and
domestically, For example, potato waffles are stored in the freezer, but potatoes
themselves require only a cool dark place to ensure many months' storage. Cold stores
provide large-volume, long-term storage for strategic food stocks held in case of
national emergency in many countries.

Boiling

Boiling liquid food items can kill any existing microbes. Milk and water are often boiled to
kill any harmful microbes that may be present in them.

Salting

Salting or curing draws moisture from a substance through a process of osmosis.

substances are cured with salt or sugar, or a combination of the two.

Sugaring

This method is used for the skins of citrus fruit (candied peel), angelica and ginger. Also
sugaring can be used in jam jellies.

INDUSTRIAL/MODERN TECHNIQUES

Pasteurization

Pasteurization is a process for preservation of liquid food. It was originally applied to combat
the souring of young local wines. Today, the process is mainly applied to dairy products. In
this method, milk is heated at about 70 C for 15 to 30 seconds to kill the bacteria present in it
and cooling it quickly to 10 C to prevent the remaining bacteria from growing.

Artificial food additives

Preservative food additives can be antimicrobial, which inhibit the growth of bacteria or
fungi, including mold, or antioxidant, such as oxygen absorbers, which inhibit the oxidation of
food constituents. Common antimicrobial preservatives include calcium propionate, sodium
nitrate, sodium nitrite, sulfites (sulfur dioxide, sodium bisulfite, potassium hydrogen sulfite, etc.)
and disodium EDTA. Antioxidants include BHA and BHT.

Biopreservation

Biopreservation is the use of natural or controlled microbiota or antimicrobials as a way of

preserving food and extending its shelf life. Beneficial bacteria or the fermentation products
produced by these bacteria are used in biopreservation to control spoilage
Of special interest are lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Lactic acid bacteria have antagonistic
properties that make them particularly useful as bio preservatives. When LABs compete for
nutrients, their metabolites often include active antimicrobials such as lactic acid, acetic
acid, hydrogen peroxide, and peptide bacteriocins. Some LABs produce the
antimicrobial nisin, which is a particularly effective preservative.