FOOD HAZARDS

Any substance in food that can cause illness or injury called a hazard.
Most food born illness is the result of eating food that has been contaminated.
A food is contaminated means it contains harmful substances that can cause illness or injury.
Food hazards are of types :

1. Biological hazards
2. Chemical hazards
3. Physical hazards
4. Allergens

Pathogens: The most important kind of biological hazards are micro organisms.
A microorganisms is a tiny, usually single – celled organisms that can be seen only with a microscope a microorganism that can cause disease is called a pathogens.
Four types of microorganism can contaminate food and cause illness:

1. Bacteria
2. Fungi
3. Viruses
4. Parasites

Bacteria are everywhere- in the air, in the ground . On our food , on our skin, inside our bodies.

1. Harmless bacteria
2. Beneficial bacteria
3. Undesirable bacteria
4. Disease-causing bacteria or pathogens.

1. Harmless bacteria :- They are neither helpful nor harmful to us.
2. Beneficial bacteria :- These bacteria are helpful to us for example- many lines in the intestinal track where they fight harmful bacteria. And production bacteria makes possible the manufacturer of many. Like cheese , yogurt etc.
3. Undesirable bacteria :- These are the bacteria that are responsible for food spoilage. They are the bacteria that are responsible for food spoilage. They Cause souring putrefiny and decomposition. These bacteria may or on May not cause disease but they announce their presence by mean of sour odors, sticky or slimy surfaces and and follow the rule that says “when in doubt, throw it out”.
We should take care of these bacteria because of teo reasons.
A. Food spoilage costs money
B. Food spoilage is a sing of improper food handling and storage. This means the next kind of bacteria is probably present.
4. Disease causing bacteria or pathogens :- Pathogen’s do not necessarily leave detectable odours or tastes in food. In other words your you can’t tell if food is contaminated by smelling , tasting or looking at it. The only way to proper hygiene and sanitary food handling and strong technique.
BACTERIAL GROWTH :-
Bacteria multiply by splitting under ideal conditions for growth, they can double in number every 15 to 30 mint. This means that one single bacterium could multiply to the one million in less than 6 hours.
CONDITION FOR GROWTH :-
1. FOOD :– bacteria required food in order to grow. Food with sufficient amount of proteins are best for bacteria growth. These include meats, poultry, dairy products , fish and eggs, as well as some grains and vegetables.
2. Moisture:- bacteria required water to absorb food dry food do not support bacterial growth. Food with very high salt and sugar content are also relatively safe because these ingredients make the bacteria unable to use the moisture present.
The availability of water to bacteria is indicated by a measure called water actively. Abbreviated aw. The scale runs from d(meaning no water available) to 1.0. most pathogens grow best in an environment from 0.85 to 1.0 aw.
3. Temperature:- Bacteria grow best at warm temps. Temperature between 41°f and 135°f ( 5°c and 57°c) promoted the disease causing bacteria. This temp range is called the food danger zone.
4. Acidity or alkalinity :- In general , disease- producing bacteria like a neutral environment , neither too acidic nor too alkaline . The acidic or alkalinity of a substance is indicated by a measurement called ph. The scale range from o( Strongly acidic) to 14(strongly alkaline). A pH of 7 is neutral . pure water has a pH of 7 .
5. Oxygen:- Some bacteria need Oxygen to grow . These are called aerobic. Com bacteria are anaerobic, which means they can grow only if there is no air present, such as in metal cans. Botulism, one of the most dangerous from of food poisoning, is caused by anaerobic bacteria, a third type of bacteria are grow either with Oxygen or without it . These bacteria in food that cause disease are facultative.
6. Time:- Bacteria need time to adjust to their surroundings before they start growing when they this time is called tag phase .The lag phase may last 1 hour or longer if other conditions are good .

In short you can call this procedure FAT TOM.

Potentially Hazardous Food or TCS Food [ Possibly Unsafe Food ] :-
Good protein foods with sufficient moisture and neutral pH level, provides a good environment for the growth of disease – causing micro organisms are called Potentially Hazardous Foods.
These foods are also called TCS foods The abbreviation stands for Time/Temperature control for safety.
All these foods and any other food that prepared with any of them are potentially hazardous.

1. Any food derived from animals or any food containing animal products , including meat poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs and dairy products.
2. Any food derived from plants that has been cooked partially cooked, or otherwise heat treated , this category includes not only cooked vegetables but also such items as cooked pasta, cooked rice and tofu ( soyabean curd ).
3. Raw seed sprouts.
4. Sliced Melons ( because the edible can be contaminated by organisms on the rinds exterior, which was in contact with soil ).
5. Cut Tomatoes ( for same reason as sliced melons ).
6. Garlic and oil mixtures ( because the oil seals the garlic from the air, fostering the growth of anaerobic, as explained above ).

Strongly acidic foods, dried or dehydrated foods and commercially processed foods that are still in their orginal unopened, sealed containers are not potentially hazardous.

Locomotion :-
Bacteria can move from place to place in only one way. They must be carried. They can’t move on their own.
Foods can become contaminated by any of the following means :-

1. Water
2. Air
3. Coughs and sneezes
4. Water
5. Other foods
6. Insects
7. Equipments and utensils
8. Rats and mice

Protection against Bacteria :-
We’ve learned how and why bacteria grow, now we should be able to keep from growing. We Know how bacteria move from place to place, now we should we able to keep them from getting in to our food.

There are three basic principle of food protection against bacteria :-

1. keep bacteria from spreading :- Don’t let food anything that may contain disese – producing bacteria, and protect food from bacteria in air.
2. Stop bacteria from growing :- Inthe kitchen our best weapon is temperature. Take away the conditions that encourage bacteria to grow. The most effective way to prevent bacterial growth is to keep foods below 41°F (5°C) or above 135°F (57°C). These temperature will not necessarily kill bacteria but it will slow their growth.
3. Kill Bacteria :- Most disease causing bacteria are killed if they are subjected to a temperature of 170°F (77°C) for 30 seconds, or higher temperature for shorter time. This enables us to make food safe by cooking and to sanitize dishes and equipments with heat. The term sanitize means to kill disease – causing bacteria.
   Many Sanitizers and chemicals also kill bacteria. these may be used for sanitizing equipments.

VIRUSES :-
Viruses are even smaller than bacteria. They consist of genetic material surrounded by a protein layer. Unlike bacteria, they can’t reproduce or multiply unless they are inside a living cell, but they can be carried on almost any surface and can survive for days or even months.
Viruses are inactive or dormant until they enter a living cell. Then they use that cell to make more viruses and release them into the organism. The new viruses can then enter new cells and continue to multiply.
Because viruses do not multiply in food like bacteria, food-borne viral diseases are usually caused by contamination from people, food contact surfaces, or, in the case of seafood, contaminated water.

PARASITES :-
Parasites are organisms that can survive only by living on or inside another organism. The organism a parasite lives in and takes nourishment from is called the host. Parasites may pass from one host organism to another and complete a different stage of their life cycle in each organism. Human parasites are generally transmitted to them from animal hosts.
Human parasites are usually very small, and although they may be microscopic, they are larger than bacteria. They can usually be killed by proper cooking or by freezing.

FUNGI :-
Molds and yeasts are examples of fungi. These organisms are associated primarily with food spoilage rather than food-borne disease. Most molds and yeasts, even those that cause spoilage, are not dangerous to most human beings. Some, in fact, are beneficial—for example, those responsible for the veining in blue cheese and the fermentation of bread dough.
Some molds, however, produce toxins that can cause allergic reactions and severe disease in those people who are susceptible. For example, certain molds produce a toxin called aflatoxin in such foods as peanuts and other nuts, corn, cottonseed, and milk. This toxin can cause serious liver disease in some people.

OTHER BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS :-
There are some hazards present that generates from mother nature in addition to the biological hazards associated with bacteria and other organisms, some hazards occur naturally in foods and are not the result of contamination. These hazards include plant toxins, seafood toxins, and allergens.

Plant Toxins :-
As we all know some plants are naturally poisonous to us human beings. The only way to avoid plant toxins is to learn about plant toxins and simply avoid the plants in which they occur, as well as products made with those plants.
In some cases, the toxins can be transferred in milk from cows that have eaten the plant (such as jimsonweed and snakeroot) or in honey from bees that have gathered nectar from the plants (such as mountain laurel).
The best-known plant toxins are those found in certain wild mushrooms. There are many kinds of poisonous mushrooms, and eating them causes symptoms that range from mild intestinal discomfort to painful death. Some mushroom toxins attack the nervous system,
some attack and destroy the digestive system, and some attack other internal organs. Other toxic plants to avoid are rhubarb leaves, water hemlock, apricot kernels, and nightshade.

Seafood Toxins :-
Some toxins occur in fish or shellfish that have eaten a kind of algae that contains the toxins. Because these toxins are not destroyed by cooking, the only method of protection against them is to purchase fish and shellfish from approved suppliers who can certify the seafood comes from safe water.
Some fish naturally contain toxins. The best-known fish toxin is the one present in puffer-fish, known in Japanese as fugu. Raw fugu is considered a delicacy in Japan, but it must be prepared only by certified chefs who have been trained to remove the glands that produce the toxin without breaking them so they don’t contaminate the flesh of the fish. This toxin attacks the nervous system and can be fatal. Some other species of fish, such as moray eels, contain natural toxins and should be avoided.

Chemical and Physical Hazards :-
Some kinds of chemical poisoning are caused by the use of defective or improper equipment or equipment that has been handled improperly. The following toxins (except lead) create symptoms that show themselves very quickly, usually within 30 minutes of eating poisoned food. By contrast, symptoms of lead poisoning can take years to appear. To prevent these diseases, do not use the materials that cause them.

1. Antimony :- Caused by storing or cooking acid foods in chipped gray enamelware.
2. Cadmium :- Caused by cadmium-plated ice cube trays or containers.
3. Cyanide :- Caused by silver polish containing cyanide.
4. Lead :- Caused by lead water pipes, solder containing lead, or utensils containing lead.
5. Copper :- Caused by unclean or corroded copper utensils, acid foods cooked in unlined copper
   utensils, or carbonated beverages in contact with copper tubing.
6. Zinc :- Caused by cooking foods in zinc-plated (galvanized) utensil
   Exposure of foods to chemicals used in commercial food-service establishments can result to other chemical contamination. Examples include cleaning compounds, polishing compounds, and insecticides. Prevent contamination by keeping these items physically separated from foods. Do not use them around food. Label all containers properly. Rinse cleaned equipment thoroughly.
   Physical contamination is contamination of food with objects that may not be toxic but may cause injury or discomfort. Examples include pieces of glass from a broken container, metal shavings from an improperly opened can, stones from poorly sorted dried beans, soil from poorly washed vegetables, insects or insect parts, and hair. Proper food handling is necessary to avoid physical contamination.

Allergens :-
Some years back, food allergies were rare – almost unheard but now it’s a common term we all know, so if you are allergic be aware of allergens.
An allergen is a substance that causes an allergic reaction. Allergens affect only some people, and these people are said to be allergic to that specific substance. Not all allergens are biological hazards, but the most important ones are.
Allergic reactions to food may occur as soon as the food is eaten or, in some cases, merely touched, or they may not occur until hours after the food is eaten. Common symptoms of allergic reaction to foods include itching, rash or hives, shortness of breath, tightness in the throat, and swelling of the eyes and face. In severe cases, allergic reactions may lead to unconsciousness or death.
Foods to which some people are allergic include wheat products, soy products, peanuts and other nuts, eggs, milk and dairy products, fish, and shellfish. Non biological allergens include food additives such as nitrites, used in cured meats, and monosodium glutamate (MSG), often used in Asian foods.
Because these products are common and are perfectly safe for most people, it is difficult to avoid serving them. For the sake of people who are sensitive to these foods, food-service personnel, especially all dining room staff, must be well informed of the ingredients in all menu items and be able to inform customers as needed. If any staff member does not know, when asked by a customer, if a food might contain an allergen, that employee should tell the customer so and then find someone who does know or else urge the customer to order a
different item.