3. Food Quality and Safety

3.1 Food Spoilage

Nature of food science and technology:

• Food deterioration occurs due to microbial and chemical activity. An understanding of how and why food spoils is essential to minimising risks to health and unnecessary waste. (1.1, 1.9)

Understandings:

• Classifications of micro-organisms

• Causes of food spoilage and contamination.

• Rancidity

• Water Activity

• Monitoring food spoilage and bacterial growth

• Expiry dates

Application and guidance:

• How micro-organisms are classified as: moulds, yeasts and bacteria.

• How food spoilage and contamination can occur by means of biological, physical and chemical. Examples include enzymic, microbial activity, purification, fermentation, infestation and low temperature injury absorption.

• Hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity.

• The importance of water activity in microbial spoilage.

• How scientific principles are used to monitor food spoilage and bacteria growth.

• The advantages and disadvantages of expiry dates (e.g. best before and use by dates).

3.2 Food Poisoning

Nature of food science and technology:

• Chemical food poisoning occurs when food is contaminated with chemicals. Biological poisoning is caused by eating foods containing naturally occurring poisons. Bacterial food poisoning is caused by eating food that is contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. (1.13)

Understandings:

• Types and causes of chemical, biological and bacterial food poisoning

• High-risk foods

• Symptoms of food poisoning

• Lifestyle factors that cause food poisoning

Application and guidance:

• Types and causes of chemicals of food poisoning e.g. pesticides and cleaning products.

• Types and causes of biological of food poisoning e.g. toxins naturally occurring in plants such as poisonous mushrooms, green potatoes and rhubarb leaves.

• Types and causes of bacterial food poisoning e.g. salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, listeria monocytogenes, clostridium botulinum and novo virus.

• Foods that are high in protein and water are more susceptible to cause bacterial food poisoning e.g. meat, fish, eggs and dairy foods.

• The symptoms that occur from different types of food poisoning and consider the impact on the health service.

• How lifestyle factors contribute to the increased incidence of food poisoning.

3.3 Principles of temperature control

Nature of food science and technology:

• To prevent food poisoning it is vital that food is cooked and stored at temperatures where microorganisms are inhibited or destroyed (2.4)

Understandings:

• Classification of microorganisms according to temperature growth

• The danger zone

• Monitoring temperature

• Cooking techniques and the effect on destroyed harmful bacteria and toxins

Application and guidance:

• Different types of microorganisms can be classified due to their optimum temperature growth range (psychrophiles, mesophiles, thermophiles).

• Why advice for the temperature range of the danger zone varies marginally for the processes of food storage, cooking and serving.

• How temperature control is used to prevent bacterial growth at different stages of production, including critical food preparation temperatures e.g. freezing, chilling, cooking, hot-holding.

• Advantages and disadvantages of different cooking techniques (such as frying, roasting, barbecuing and sous vide) to destroy harmful bacteria and toxins.

3.4 Safe food handling and preparation

Nature of food science and technology:

• Safe and hygienic food handling practices in the production, storage and preparation of food involves the application of rigorous controls at all stages of the production and supply chain. (1.9)

Understandings:

• Basic food hygiene

• Cross contamination

• Food premises design for safe food preparation

• Controls and scale of production

• Quality assurance and risk assessment

• Food laws and regulations

Application and guidance:

• The benefits of good personal hygiene and safety the consequences or poor hygiene and safety.

• How cross contamination can be avoided throughout production and the supply chain.

• How the design of food preparation areas can help to prevent the contamination of food by prevention of physical, chemical and biological contamination.

• How hygiene and safety controls change as scale of production increases: a comparison between domestic and large scale commercial production.

• The role of environmental health officers and food premise inspections.

• How throughout the supply chain and production, quality assurance is used to identify hazards and control risks.

• How HACCP, COSHH and other relevant food safety legislation is used to regulating and evaluating by use of inspections to check compliance.

3.5 Organoleptic properties

Nature of food science and technology:

• Organoleptic properties include appearance, texture, taste and odour. Sensory testing methods are used to conduct reliable results under controlled environments. The concept of fair testing is crucial to obtain sensory data.(1.3, 1.13, 3.2)

Understandings:

• Sensory properties of food

• The purpose and importance of sensory tests

• Advantages and disadvantages of different types of sensory testing

Application and guidance:

• The sensory properties of food, derived from: appearance, taste, texture, touch and smell.

• How the sensory properties of food affect consumer food choices.

• How sensory testing is a subjective evaluation of how people perceive a product.

• The importance of sensory testing to food manufacturers.

• The advantages and disadvantages of different types of sensory tests: difference tests, paired comparison test, triangle test, two out of five test, ranking test, rating tests (hedonic scales, unipolar and bipolar scales), significant results and profiling.

3.6 Packaging and food quality

Nature of food science and technology:

• Packaging traditionally provided protection for food products. In many countries packaging and labelling now also provides marketing opportunities for manufacturers, as well as convenience and information for consumers which relate to their lifestyles. The implications of packaging on the environment is an area of growing concern. (1.11, 1.13,2.5)

Understandings:

• Reasons for packaging foods

• Advantages and disadvantages of packaging materials

• Primary and secondary packaging

• Packaging design

• Environmental impact of packaging

Application and guidance:

• Why food is packaged e.g. transportation, containment, protection, safety and hygiene.

• The advantages and disadvantages of packaging. e.g. plastic, paper, metal and glass.

• Why food has both primary and secondary packaging. e.g. the Ferrero Roche.

• The design of packaging such as minimal use of materials, recycling, use of biodegradable materials, use of reusable containers.

• The environmental impact of food packaging and transporting packaged foods; availability and choice and prevention of waste food versus environmental impact of packaging.