Q. How is predictive microbiology used to determine the microbiological quality of minimally processed foods?

A. Predictive microbiology can be used to measure the growth of certain bacteria in a particular environment over time. Measuring bacterial growth a single time makes it easier to predict how future populations will grow under those same conditions. Understanding the Microbiology of Safe, Minimally Processed Foods, a project by The UK Institute of Food Research, uses growth curves as a predictive measure to estimate the growth of certain organisms on food.

Refer to the Predictive Microbiology Fact Sheet located on the our Web site for more information.

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