Microbiology - Member Interest Group
This MIG is concerned with all aspects of food and drink microbiology, including hygiene, pathogens, virus, spoilage, safety, methods, good laboratory practice and the interpretation of microbiological data. A regular 'issues' update also draws MIG members' attention to outbreaks of food poisoning throughout the world. The aim of this MIG is to provide a collaborative environment in which challenges and solutions can be discussed. It is also an ideal forum for networking, horizon-scanning, identifying gaps in knowledge and addressing them, as well as keeping up to date with legislation, latest research, and other upcoming topics.
Chair: Debra Smith, Vikan (UK) Ltd.
Vice-Chair: Sarah Dickinson, Co-op
Next Microbiology meeting
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TBA
Joint meeting with Manufacturing Operations
Typical topics of interest:
Raw ingredients
- Microbiological assessment of the impact of agricultural practices
- Microbiological specifications for raw materials and ingredients
Processing
- The impact of changes to processing to improve quality
- Implications of changes to production processes
- Microbiological assessment of novel production methods
Product quality and formulation
- Microbial response to interactions between ingredients.
- Methods and standards for assessing quality
- Predictions of microbiological quality
- Microbiological aspects of product development
- Microbiological specifications and limits
Safety
- Predictive microbiology for pathogens
- Impact of reformulation on pathogen risk
- Impact of packaging on pathogens
- International food poisoning updates
- Updates on legislation and guidance
Methods
- Rapid methods
- Validation
- Advanced microbial profiling (AMP)
- Shelf-life assessment, challenge testing