Microbiological risk assessment: making sense of an increasingly complex world
Duncan CraigFood Standards Australia New Zealand
55 Blackall Street, Barton
ACT 2610, Australia
Tel: +61 2 6271 2222
Fax: +61 2 6271 2278
Email:
Duncan.Craig@foodstandards.gov.au
Microbiology Australia 34(2) 83-85 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA13029
Published: 13 May 2013
Abstract
As our understanding of microbiological pathogens and their interaction with hosts expands, the complexity of assessing the risks posed by these hazards is also increasing. This is compounded by the extension of food production pathways, with multiple processes and/or new technologies used to produce the food that consumers desire. While based on principles developed for assessing toxicological and carcinogenic hazards, microbiological risk assessment throws up many challenges due to the ability of some microorganisms (bacteria) to multiply, or become inactivated, as food moves through the production to consumption continuum. In addition, microorganisms themselves are not static entities but are constantly changing through natural selection and exchange of genetic material.
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