This food microbiology training course will cover the following topics over two days of classroom instruction:

• Microbial Ecology: Food safety depends on understanding what conditions encourage microbial growth and what inhibits it.
• Pathogens – Gram-negative: The FDA/USDA are hustling to better understand Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) and Salmonella.
• Pathogens – Gram-positive: Listeria monocytogenes has plagued many food manufacturers. We focus on ecology and control.
• Spoilage: Yeast and mold are major culprits in food spoilage. Learn how to detect and identify them in food processing facilities.
• Current Food Safety Issues: Get the latest on the worst outbreaks to hit the news and consumers' GI tracts.
• Testing: A good test done wrong can be more dangerous than no testing at all. Know the uses and abuses of microbial testing.
• Predictive Models & Quantitative Risk Assessment: Tools of quantification are continually expanding in power and applicability.