Chapter 2 - Food ecology and microbial food spoilage

Abstract

Food spoilage, “an organoleptic change in food,” can occur at any stage along the food chain. This spoilage may be influenced by insect and physical damage, indigenous enzyme activity, or microorganisms. Besides perishable foods with a limited lifespan, food generally has a considerably longer lifespan, but it spoils eventually. In the course of microbial food spoilage, substrates such as organic acids, esters, carbonyls, diamines alcohols, sulfur compounds, hydrocarbons, and fluorescent pigments are generated as by-products. Although chemical and physical variables are the key factors for detecting spoilage microorganisms, food contamination by microbial toxins or spores is often unsuspected until the outbreak of foodborne infections. Thus, notwithstanding the enormous health and economic impacts associated with food spoilage, the mechanisms and interactions leading to food spoilage are still, to a considerable extent, very unclear. This chapter discusses the interactive behavior of food spoilage microorganisms that contribute to their growth and spoilage ability. It also seeks to report necessary information that will enhance understanding of basic concepts related to microbial spoilage of food, ecology, interactions, and the role of microorganisms in food spoilage.