“A Microbiological Perspective’’

1UNIVERSITY OF BUEA BUMPSA SYMPOSIUM JUNE 2013

Presented by

Nchanji Gordon T. Rene Faunta N.

Outline

• Introduction

• Why food ???? !!!!

• Review of Related Literature:

o Food Microbiology

o Food Loss and Food Waste

• Conclusion

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Introduction

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Why Food ????? !!!!

• Food loss/waste: Worldwide about 1/3 of all food produced

equivalent to 1.3 billion tons and worth around US$1

trillion, gets lost or wasted in food production and

consumption systems (FAO, 2011).

• Creating wealth and promoting economic growth.

• Environmental sustainability.

• MDG 1: Reduce extreme poverty and hunger.

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Key concepts:

• Food Security: deals with handling, preparation and

storage of food in ways which prevent foodborne illness.

• Food Safety: “access by all people at all times to enough

food for an active, healthy life” (World Bank, 1986;

Salih, 1995).

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Microorganisms in Food

Bacteria:

Campylobacter, E. coli, Salmonella,

Vibrio etc...

Moulds:

Aspergillus, Botrytis, Mucor, Penicillium

etc...

Yeasts:

Brettanomyces, Candida,

Schizosaccharomyces, Saccharomyces etc...

Viruses: Poliovirus,

Rotaviruses, Norwalk-like viruses etc...

Protozoa:

Entamoeba, Giardia, Toxoplasma etc..

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Sources of Microorganisms in Foods

FoodSoil

Water

Air

Plants

Animals

Humans

Others: equipments,

ingredients, flies etc…

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Factors Affecting Microbial Growth

in Foods

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• pH

• Moisture content

• Oxidation-reduction potential (Eh)

• Nutrient content

• Antimicrobial constituents

• Biological structures

Role of Microorganisms in Food

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2. Food Poisoning

1. Food Spoilage

Role of Microorganisms in Foods

cont’d

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3. Food Production

4. Food Preservation

5. Indicators of Food

Safety and Quality

Methods of Food Preservation

Food preservation

Radiation

Low/High

temperatures

Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Reduced water availability

Chemical-based preservation

Removal of microorganisms

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In summary

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Key concepts

• Food Loss: the decrease in edible food mass throughout

the part of the supply chain that specifically leads to

edible food for human consumption.

• Food Waste: Food losses occurring at the end of the

food chain (i.e. retail and final consumption).

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Food Chain

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Food volumes produced

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700 Europe

N. America, Oceania

Industralised asia

Subsahara Africa

N. Africa, West &Central AsiaS. & Southeast Asia

Latin America

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Production volumes of selected commodity groups, per region (million tonnes)

(FAOSTAT 2010a).

Extent of Food Losses:

A general picture

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0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Consumption

Production-Retailing

Per capita food losses and waste (kg/year) per region

(FAOSTAT 2010a).

Extent of Food Losses:

Cereals

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0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%

Consumption

Distribution

Processing

Postharvest

Agriculture

Part of the initial production lost or wasted, at different FSC stages, for cereals in different

regions (FAOSTAT 2010a).

Extent of Food Losses:

Roots and Tuber crops

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Consumption

Distribution

Processing

Postharvest

Agriculture

Part of the initial production lost or wasted at different stages of the FSC for root and tuber crops

in different region (FAOSTAT 2010a).

Extent of Food Losses:

Fruits and Vegetables

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%Consumption

Distribution

Processing

Postharvest

Agriculture

Part of the initial production lost or wasted at different stages of the FSC for fruits and vegetables

in different regions (FAOSTAT 2010a).

CAUSES of food losses/waste :• When production exceeds demand.

• The ‘disposing is cheaper than using or re-using’ attitude

• High ‘appearance quality standards’ from supermarkets

for fresh products.

• Unsafe food is not fit for human consumption

• Due to premature harvesting.

• Lack of/Poor processing and storage facilities, and lack

of infrastructure.

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Cameroon: Causes cont’d

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• A comprehensive food security and vulnerability analysis

conducted in 2007 found that poor agricultural

production, low education and income levels, and

inadequate infrastructure are responsible for vulnerability

and food insecurity in the northern provinces of

Cameroon (WFP, 2007)

Potential Measures :

• Creating public awareness

• Change of “culture of waste”

• Improve on preservation

• Control and improve efficiency of production

• Develop markets for substandard products

• Develop infrastructure

• Develop contract farming linkages between

processors and farmers

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CONCLUSION

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

2005 2015

Cereals

Roots/Tubers

Vegetables

Fruits

Cacao

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Cameroon: Agricultural production goals, 2015(PRSP & GESP, 2009).

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