Food microbiology is a specialized field within applied microbiology that addresses the preservation of food from microbial spoilage and the provision of safe, nutritious food for consumption. Given the current global food crisis, it is crucial that we focus on food preservation to ensure that food is not wasted. The field of food microbiology is rapidly expanding to meet these needs. The textbook, which consists of 20 chapters, covers a range of topics related to food microbiology, including the types and sources of microorganisms in food, factors that influence microbial growth, and various methods of food preservation such as high temperature, low temperature, dehydration, osmotic pressure, irradiation, high-pressure processing, chemical preservatives, food storage, and packaging. Additionally, the book addresses food safety and quality management, fermented food products, dairy microbiology, microbial foods and chemicals, mushroom cultivation, and microbial enzymes. The textbook also includes a section on bacterial food poisoning, mycotoxins, and the impact of genetically modified foods, along with descriptive and objective questions. To aid in practical learning, the book also includes procedures for 15 experiments in food and dairy microbiology and a glossary of terms.
