Microbial Spoilage Of Food

Dosen : Cico Jhon Karunia Simamora, SP. MSi.

Prodi Ilmu dan Teknologi Pangan
Universitas Tanjungpura
Significance of Microbial
Types
 Raw and most processed foods normally contain
many types of
 bacteria (the first important component in spoilage
due to a shorter generation time),
 yeasts (favorable positions over molds to cause rapid
spoilage of foods),
 molds,

capable of multiplying and causing spoilage.

 However, in food where bacteria and yeasts do
not grow favorably and the foods are stored for a
relatively longer period of time (breads, hard
cheese, fermented dry sausages, and acidic fruits
and vegetables) spoilage due to mold growth is
more prevalent.
Significance of Microbial
Numbers
 The spoilage detection level can range from 106 – 108
cells/g, mL or square centimeter.
 Spoilage associated with H2S, some amines, and H2O2
formation can be detected at a lower microbial load,
while formation of lactic acid may be detected at a
higher microbial load.
Significance of Predominant
Microorganisms
 The microbial profile of a food is quite
different from that of a pure culture
growing in a laboratory medium.
 An unspoiled, nonsterile food generally
contains many types of microorganisms
consisting of bacteria, yeasts, and
molds (also viruses) from different
genera and may be more than one
species from the same genus.
 When the same food is spoiled, it is
found to contain predominantly one or
two types, and they may not even be
present initially in the highest
numbers in the unspoiled product.
 Some Important Food
Spoilage Bacteria
 Psychrotrophic Bacteria
 Aerobic : Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. fragi, other Pseudomonas
species, Acinobacter, Moraxella, and Flavobacterium. (some
molds and yeasts)
 Facultative anaerobic : L. viidescens, L. sake, L. curvatus,
Leuconostoc mesenteroides etc.
 Thermoduric psychrotrops :
 Facultative anaerobs : spores of Bacillus coagulans and Bacillus
megaterium, some strains of L. viridescens.
 Anerobes : spores of Clostridium laramie, Clo. estertheticum, Clo.
algidicarnis, Clo.putrefaciens, and unidentified Clostridium spp.
 When a food is temperature abused above 50C, some true mesophiles
(growth temperature range 15 – 45 0C, optimum 25 – 40 0C) can also
grow.
 However, at 10 – 15 0C storage temperature psychrotrophs will
generally grow much faster than these mesophiles.
 Thermophilic Bacteria
 The bacteria in this group grow between 40 –
90 0C, with optimum growth at 55 – 65 0C.
 Spores of some thermophilic Bacillus and
Clostridium spp. can be present in these heat
treated foods, which at warm temperatures
germinate and multiply to cause spoilage.
 Some thermoduric vegetative bacteria
surviving low heat processing (such as
pasteurization) or thermophiles getting in food
as post-heat contamination can also multiply
in this warm foods, especially if the
temperature is close to 50 0C.
 Aciduric Bacteria
 Bacteria capable of growing relatively rapidly in food at pH 4.6 or below are
generally regarded as aciduric (or acidophilic).
 Spoilage of acidic food products :
 Fruit juices, pickles, salsa, salad dressings, mayonnaise, and fermented sausages.
 Heterofermentative LAB and homofermentative LAB have been associated with
such spoilage.
 Yeast and molds are aciduric and thus are associated with spoilage of such foods.
Food Types

 Intrinsic factors that can cause food spoilage :

 Aw & pH : food with a lower Aw (0.90) or a lower pH (5.3)
is less susceptible to bacterial spoilage than one with Aw =
0.98 or pH = 6.4. Yeast and molds will probably grow
equally well under both conditions.
 O – R potential, nutrient content, antimicrobial
substances, protective structures.
 Extrinsic factors : storage conditions
Metabolism of Food Nutrients

Carbohydrates Food nutrients Lipids

Proteinaceous and
NPN compounds
CO2, H2, H2O2, lactate, CO2, H2, NH3, H2S, Fatty acids, glycerol,
acetate, formate, amines, keto acids, hydroperoxides,
butyrate, isobutyrate, mercaptans, organic carbonyl compounds
isovalerate, ethanol, disufides, putrescine, (aldehydes, and
propanol, butanol, cadaverine, skatole ketones), nitrogenous
isobutanol, diacetyl, bases.
acetoin, butanediol,
dextran, levans.
Preference for Utilization of
Food Nutrients
 In general, microorganisms prefer to use carbohydrate
first, followed by NPN and proteinaceous compounds,
and then lipids.
 It again depends on whether or not a particular species has
the ability to use specific carbohydrate.
 In mixed microbial population, as normally present in
food, availability and amount of metabolizable
carbohydrates greatly affect the spoilage pattern.
Microbial Growth in
Succesion
 The intrinsic factors or environments of a food dictate
which, among the mixed microbial species normally
present, will multiply rapidly and become predominant
to cause spoilage.
 If sufficient time is given, the predominant microbial
types and the nature spoilage of a food can change.
 Spoilage of
Specific Food
Groups
Prevention of spoilage

 Knowing types of microorganisms associated with

spoilage of specific foods is essential for developing
preventive measures
 Intrinsic and extrinsic factors can be manipulated to
prevent microbial growth
Fresh and Ready to Eat Meat
Products
 Raw Meat
 From animals and birds contain a large
group of spoilage bacteria
 The predominant spoilage flora in a meat
is determined by :
 the nutrient and oxygen availability,
 storage temperature,
 pH,
 the storage time of the product
 generation time of the spoilage
microorganisms under a given environment.
 Meat
are more perishable than other food
commodities
 Abundance all nutrients required for growth of
bacteria, yeasts and molds
 All of these nutrients readily available
 Carcasses and cuts may be spoiled by bacteria or by
molds
 Whiskers (Mucor, Rhizopus), black or green spots
(Cladosporium, Penicillium)
 Ground meats and steaks are almost exclusively spoiled
by bacteria
 Storage temperature selects for psychrotropic spoilage
organisms
 Pseudomonas, Moraxella, Acinetobacter, Psychrobacter
 Steaks tend to undergo surface spoilage
 Ready to Eat Meat Products
 High heat processed uncured and cured meat products (heat treatment to make
them commercially sterile)
 Low heat processed uncured and cured meat products
 Sources of microorganisms :
 Raw meat
 Spices and other ingredients
 Natural casings
 Spoilage in ready to eat meat products :
 Slimy spoilage
 Occurs on the outside of casing
 Yeast, LAB, B. thermosphacta
 Souring
 Occurs underneath the casing
 Due to growth of LAB
 Greening
 Due to H2O2 production (Lactobacillus)
 Due to H2S production
 Reacts with myoglobin to form sulphmyoglobin
 Pseudomonas mephitica
Eggs and Egg Products

 Rotting
 Green rots (Pseudomonas fluorescens)
 Colorless rots (Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter)
 Black rots (Proteus)
 Pink rots (Pseudomonas)
 Red rots (Serratia)
 Custard rots (Proteus vulgaris, P. intermedium)
 Pinspots (molds, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Mustiness,
P. graveolans, Proteus)
 Hen’s egg structure includes barriers against microbial entry and growth :
 External
 Outer waxy shell membrane
 Shell
 Inner shell membrane
 Internal (white)
 Lysozyme
 Avidin (chelates biotin)
 High pH (~ 9.3)
 Conalbumen (chelates iron)
 Yolk is an excellent medium for bacterial growth
 Milk and Milk Products
 Raw Milk
 Microbiota of milk from healty cows
 Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Lactic acid cocci (Lactococcus
and Streptococcus)
 Microbiota of milk from cows with mastitis
 Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Coliforms,
Pseudomonas, and other streptococci
 Count > 103 in the bulk tank (if not separated)
 Spoilage of refrigerated milk consists usually of bitter,
rancid, fruity flavors due to putrefaction and caused by
psychrotrophs
 Spoilage of milk at room consists usually of souring due
to fermentation and LAB
 Pasturized Milk
 Usually associated with Gram-negative psychrotrophs
 Bitter, rancid, fruity, or unclean flavor
 Gram-positive, psychrotrophic sporeformers (Bacillus
spp.), can grow and cause spoilage (sweet curdling)
 Vegetables and Fruits
 Widely varied products (raw, frozen, canned,
dehydrated, fermented)
 Sources of m.o in fresh vegetables and fruits
 Soil (Bacillus, Clostridium, fungi)
 Wide distribution in nature (Lactobacillus,
Leuconostoc, Streptococcus)
 Fertilizers (non-fermented manure)
 Water (irigation, solvent, washing)
 Dust (air)
 Animals, insects, humans
 Harvesting equipment and utensils
 Packing equipment
 Ice, transporting vehicles, inadequate storages, cross
contamination, handling previous to consumption
 Types of spoilage on
vegetables and fruits
 Bacterial soft rot
 Soft, mushy product,
sometimes with off-
odors
 Souring by LAB
 Gray mold rot (Botrytis
sp.), Rhizopus soft rot
(Rhizopus sp.) and
many other rots caused
by species of molds
 Bacteria are of less
impotance in the
spoilage of fruits
because of the lower
pH
 Fish, Crustaceans, and
Mollusks
 Fish
 Microbial spoilage is determined by the microbial
types, their level, fish environment, fish types,
methods used for harvest, and subsequent handling
 Crustaceans
 Microbial spoilage in shrimp is more prevalent than
that of crabs and lobsters because crabs and lobsters
remain alive until they are pocessed
 Mollusks
 As compared to fish and crustaceans, oyster, clam, and
scallop meats are lower in NPN compounds but higher
in carbohydrates
 The mollusks are kept alive until processed; thus,
microbial food spoilage occurs only after processing
 Soft Drink, Fruit Juices and
Preserves, and Vegetable Juices
 Among the microorganisms that can be present in
these products, only aciduric molds, yeasts, and
bacteria (Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, and
Acetobacter) are able to cause spoilage if
appropriate preservation methods are not used
 To prevent of these potential spoilage
microorganisms, several additional preservation
methods are used, include :
 heat treatment, to kill vegetative microorganisms in
tomato juices,
 freezing,
 refrigeration,
 addition of specific chemical preservatives.
(Harmayani & Sumedi, 2006)
 Cereals and Their Products
 Cereal grains
 If the Aw increase above 0.6, some species of fungi (Aspergillus,
Penicillium, and Rhizopus) can grow and cause spoilage
 Yeats are common on all cereals, although they represent only a
minority of the microbial flora
 Refrigerated Dough (biscuits, roles, and pizza)
 Susceptible to spoilage (gas formation) from the growth of
psychrotrophic heterolactic species of Lactobacillus and
Leuconostoc then the gas can blow the containers, especially
when the storage temperature increases to 100C or above
 Breads
 A specific type of bread spoilage, designated as ropiness and
characterized by soft, stringy, brown mass with fruity odor,
caused by the growth of some mucoid variants of Bacillus subtilis
 Pastas
 Anaerobic packing and refrigeration
storage can prevent mold growth and slow
down the growth of yeasts, anaerobic and
facultative anaerobic psychrotrophic
bacteria
 Pastries
 They can spoilage by microorganisms
coming with the ingredients that are
added after baking such as icing, nuts,
toppings, and cream
 Due to low Aw, most products will allow
only molds to grow
Liquid Sweeteners and
Confectioneries

 Most of these products have an Aw of 0.8 or below and

are normally not susceptible to bacterial spoilage.
 Under aerobic conditions, some xerophilic molds can
produce visible spoilage
 Osmophilic yeasts Zygosaccharomyces rouxii,
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Torulopsis holmii, and
Candida valida can ferment these products
Mayonnaise, Salad Dressing, and
Condiments

 Zygosaccharomyces bailii
 Lactobacillus fructivorans
 Bacillus vulgatus (Thousand Island dressing)
Canned Foods

 Thermophilic sporeformers
 Can cause some types of spoilage of low
acid (high pH) foods (such as corn, beans,
peas) when the cans are temperature
abused at 430C and above, even for short
duration
 Spoilage due to insufficients heating
 Clostridium and some Bacillus spp.
 Spoilage due to container leakage
 Damage and leakly containers will allow
different types of microorganisms to get
inside from the environment after heating
Fermented Foods

 Fermented meat products

 If the acid production of homofermentative
LAB is slow, undesirable bacteria can grow
(Clostridium, Bacillus, and other mesophilic
bacteria have been reported to cause spoilage
in such conditions.
 Products with pH < 5.0 but Aw 0.92 or above
and vacuum packaged can be spoiled by
heterofermentative Leuconostoc and
Lactobacillus spp. with accumulation of gas
and liquid inside the package and creamy
white growth of bacterial cells
 If they are not vacuum packaged and have low
Aw (0.72-0.90), yeast and molds can grow on
the surface, resulting in slime formation,
discoloration, and undesirable flavor of the
products.
Yeast In Specific Types of Foods

 Yeast will actually grow to the extent that

spoilage will result depends on intrinsic
and extrinsic factors
 Many yeast species are associated with
plant and animal products and can also be
found in food-processing environments
 Yeast are most likely to cause spoilage in
products such as fruits and soft drinks,
which contain fermentable sugars, and in
those types of food, e.g., alcoholic
beverages and high-sugar and/or high-
acidity products, which restrict the
growth of competing bacteria
 Food fermented with mixed
cultures
of bacteria
Products Molds and fungi
Yeasts Bacteria Substrate Use

Ragi Amylomyces rouxii Endomyces spp. Pediococcus pentosaceus Uncoked rice Inoculum
Pichia burtonii Steptococus faecalis

Peuyem A.rouxii P.Burtonii P.Pentosaceus cassava Snack

Endomycopsis fibulinger Enterococcus faecalis

Miso Aspergillus oryzae Zygosaccharomyces P.Halophilus Soybean Flavoring

A.sojae rouxii E.faecalis + rice/barley
T.versatilis

Soy A.Oryzae Zy.rouxii, Zy.sojae, Lactobacillus delbrueckii Soybean Flavoring

A.Sojae group Zy.major, Ha. Spp., P.halophilus +wheat
sauce Torulopsis spp., P.damnosus +salt
C.etchellsii, C.versatilis

Sake A.oryzae Ha.anomala Lactobacillus mesenteroides Rice Liquor

S.Cerevisiae (sake) var.sake
Lactobacillus sake

Tempe Rhizopus oligosporus Trp.beigelii Klebsiella pneumoniae Mostly Protein

R.chinensis Cla.lusitaniae Enterobacter cloacae soybeans food
R.Oryzae C.maltosa Lactobacillus spp. snack
Mucor indicus C.intermedia
Ya.lipolytica
(Deak dan Beuchat, 1996)
 Pustaka :
 Deak, T. dan Beuchat, L.R. 1996. Handbook of Food
Spoilage Yeast. CRC Press, New York.
 Ray, B. 1996. Fundamental Food Microbiology. CRC Press,
New York.
 Nickerson, J.T. dan Sinskey, A.J. 1974. Microbiology of
Food and Food Processing. American Elsevier Publishing
Co., Inc.