FDSC 5920

Food Systems Microbiology

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.

The focus of the course will be on food systems and how microbiology impacts the safety and quality of food products. The course will address issues of food product development, quality, safety, and the impact of the microbiome of foods on the individuals that consume it. Topics will include: establishing a product and environmental sampling plan; the impact of raw materials and processing of food shelf-life; food systems approaches to food safety and quality including the economics of raw material selection, processing and packaging; and root cause analysis. Real-world examples will be used to develop critical thinking skills.

When Offered Spring.

Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: one college-level course in microbiology, or permission of instructor.

• Describe the basic principles of food systems microbiology.
• Create and use database platforms for food safety, quality management along with root cause analysis.
• Implement software platforms to create food processing scenarios and collect critical control point data.
• Identify the root causes of out-of-specification events and implement solutions.
• Communicate acquired knowledge from reading selection of the scientific literature.

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