An alternative approach to food microbiology for the future
1979
Sharpe, A.N.
Traditional concepts and methodologies in food science are backward, not absolute, and do not test the true quality of food. Enumeration specifications are a barrier to the development of satisfactory instrumented methods and to the satisfactory regulation of food quality. Microbiological control of food should be based on the physical, chemical, biochemical and immunological parameters to which both humans and conventional scientific instruments respond. Unwholesomeness parameters will be defined and acceptable levels of parameters in food agreed upon. Sequential Measurement until Amplitude (level) Reaches Threshold (SMART) will measure only whether or not the specimens reach thresholds within the condition frames; if it reaches threshold, an ALERT is registered. Future data will take two forms: 1) Yes/no answers on alerts; 2) number of hours before food reaches an agreed standard. Benefits to the SMART approach are: 1) the data relate immediately to people; 2) the methodology is more suited to automation; 3) the method is less arbitrary than traditional microbiology; 4) the data is unequivocal; and 5) the instrumentation is already available. SMART can be applied to plant troubleshooting, plant sanitation, and food poisoning tests.
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