Clostridium Botulinum

The Practical Food Microbiology Series gives practical and accurate information about specific organisms of concern to public health. The information is designed for use by those in the food industry working in manufacturing, retailing and quality assurance, those in associated professional sectors e.g. public health, and students in each of these areas.

Clostridium botulinum produces a toxin which causes the severe, often fatal illness, botulism. It is a potential hazard associated with a wide range of both ambient stable and chilled foods.

Foodborne botulism still occurs all around the world. As new outbreaks are reported implicating yet more food types and food processes, so the food industry needs to regularly review processes and product characteristics to assure safety.

Foreword.

1 Background.

2 Outbreaks: causes and lessons to be learnt.

3 Factors affecting growth and survival of Clostridium botulinum.

4 Industry focus: control of Clostridium botulinum.

5 Industry action and reaction.

6 Test methods.

7 The future.

Glossary of terms.

References.

Index.

"Clostridium botulinum, the third in Blackwell Science's Practical Food Microbiology series (successor to Listeria and E. coli) is another triumph of concise, interesting and informative information" (International Food Safety News) Chris Bell is a Consultant Food Microbiologist.

Alec Kyriakides is the Company Microbiologist of Sainsbuty's Supermarkets Ltd.

Clostridium botulinum produces a neurotoxin which causes the severe, often fatal illness, botulism. As a spore-forming bacterium requiring anaerobic conditions for growth, C. botulinum is a potential hazard associated with a wide range of both ambient stable and chilled foods.

Despite the knowledge and understanding accumulated about C. botulinum since 1897 when the organism was first isolated from a food responsible for a fatal botulism outbreak, foodborne botulism still occurs in countries all around the world. As new outbreaks are reported implicating yet more food types and food processes, so the food industry needs to regularly review processes and product characteristics to assure their safety in respect of this important organism.

The Practical Food Microbiology Series has been devised to give practical and accurate information about specific organisms of concern to public health. The information is designed for use by those in the food industry working in manufacturing, retailing and quality assurance, those in associated professional sectors e.g. public health, and students in each of these areas.

The series is unique in its practical approach as it draws on real life situations to highlight practical means for controlling the organism in foods.

This book details the causes of selected outbreaks and incidents of foodborne botulism and assesses the lessons that can be learnt from them. It examines the characteristics of C. botulinum (proteolytic and non-proteolytic types) and identifies factors which make foods susceptible to contamination and growth of these organisms. Specific product sectors are used to indicate practical measures that can be applied to control C. botulinum in foods and minimise its potential to cause harm to the consumer.