Food Mycology


Book Description

For millennia, the presence of fungi in food has been both boon and bane to food stores. Fungi can spoil large quantities of food and produce dangerous toxins that threaten human health; however, fungal spoilage in certain foods can produce a unique, highly prized food source and there are some very effective fungal derived medicines. A thorough un




Methods for the Mycological Examination of Food


Book Description

The desirability, indeed the necessity, for standardization of methods for the examination of foods for contaminant and spoilage mycoflora has been apparent for some time. The concept of a specialist workshop to address this problem was borne during conversations at the Gordon Research Conference on "Hicrobiological Safety of Foods" in Plymouth, New Hampshire, in July 1982. Discussions at that time resulted in an Organizing Committee of four, who became the Editors, and a unique format: all attendees would be expected to contribute and, in most cases, more than once; and papers in nearly all sessions would be presented as a set of data on a single topic, not as a complete research paper. Each session would be followed by general discussion, and then a panel would formulate recommendations for approval by a final plenary session. The idea for this format was derived from the famous "Kananaskis I" workshop on Hyphomycete taxonomy and terminology organized by Bryce Kendrick of the University of Waterloo, Ontario in 1969. Attendance would necessarily be limited to a small group of specialists in food mycology. The scope of the workshop developed from answers to questionnaires circulated to prospective participants. To generate new data which would allow valid comparisons to be drawn, intending participants were given a variety of topics as assignments and asked to bring information obtained to the workshop.




Advances in Food Mycology


Book Description

This book represents the Proceedings of the Fifth International Workshop on Food Mycology, which was held on the Danish island of Samsø from 15-19 October, 2003. This series of Workshops c- menced in Boston, USA, in July 1984, from which the proceedings were published as Methods for Mycological Examination of Food (edited by A. D. King et al. , published by Plenum Press, New York, 1986). The second Workshop was held in Baarn, the Netherlands, in August 1990, and the proceedings were published as Modern Methods in Food Mycology (edited by R. A. Samson et al. , and published by Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1992). The Third Workshop was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1994 and the Fourth near Uppsala, Sweden, in 1998. The proceedings of those two workshops were p- lished as scientific papers in the International Journal of Food Microbiology. International Workshops on Food Mycology are held under the auspices of the International Commission on Food Mycology, a Commission under the Mycology Division of the International Union of Microbiological Societies. Details of this Commission are given in the final chapter of this book. This Fifth Workshop was organised by Ulf Thrane, Jens Frisvad, Per V. Nielsen and Birgitte Andersen from the Center for Microbial Biotechnology, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, v vi Foreword Denmark.




Fungi and Food Spoilage


Book Description

This book is designed as a laboratory guide for the food microbiologist, to assist in the isolation and identification of common food-borne fungi. We emphasise the fungi which cause food spoilage, but also devote space to the fungi commonly encountered in foods at harvest, and in the food factory. As far as possible, we have kept the text simple, although the need for clarity in the descriptions has necessitated the use of some specialised mycological terms. The identification keys have been designed for use by microbiologists with little or no prior knowledge of mycology. For identification to genus level, they are based primarily on the cultural and physiological characteristics of fungi grown under a standardised set of conditions. The microscopic features of the various fungi become more important when identifying isolates at the species level. Nearly all of the species treated have been illustrated with colony photographs, together with photomicrographs or line drawings. The photomicrographs were taken using a Zeiss WL microscope fitted with Nomarski interference contrast optics. We are indebted to Mr W. Rushton and Ms L. Burton, who printed the many hundreds of photographs used to make up the figures in this book. We also wish to express out appreciation to Dr D.L. Hawksworth, Dr A.H.S.







Predictive Modelling in Food


Book Description

This volume brings together papers detailing the latest advances in the field of predictive microbiology in foods presented at the 10th International Conference on Predictive Modelling in Food, held in Córdoba, Spain, in 2016. Predictive microbiology is a scientific area providing mathematical models to predict microbial behaviour in the food environment, providing valuable tools for food risk managers, food scientists and the food industry as a whole. The book introduces the reader to the most used and recognized modelling techniques for food, providing a thorough overview of this discipline and establishing the basis for future investigations. It is presented as a compendium of several high-quality research studies developed across the world, representing a unique contribution to the field as it shows recent discoveries and new trends of modelling in food and risk assessment. The most innovative methods, such as the use of genomic information for risk assessment and the application of quantitative risk assessment technology for foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, are also included here.




Epidemiology of Mycotoxin Producing Fungi


Book Description

Under the aegis of COST Action 835 `Agriculturally Important Toxigenic Fungi 1998-2003', EU Project (QLK 1-CT-1998-01380)




Molecular Biology of Food and Water Borne Mycotoxigenic and Mycotic Fungi


Book Description

A part of the Food Microbiology Series, Molecular Biology of Food and Water Borne Mycotoxigenic and Mycotic Fungi reveals similarities between fungi present in/on food and water and those that cause human fungal diseases. The book covers food borne mycotoxigenic fungi in depth and examines food borne fungi from the standpoint of mycoses (i.e. funga




Molecular Markers in Mycology


Book Description

The Kingdom fungi encompass a massive diversity of taxa with wide-ranging ecologies, life cycles, and morphologies ranging from unicellular aquatic chytrids to large mushrooms. Before molecular methods came in existence, taxonomists considered this Kingdom to be a member of the plant kingdom due to certain life styles like immobility and growth habitats. Molecular markers (also known as DNA markers), facilitated a better alternative method over traditional morphological methods, employed for the identification, characterization, and to understand the evolution of fungi. The morphological methods used for identification are mainly dependent on spore color or microscopic features whereas molecular markers are based on DNA polymorphism in the genomic organization. Phylogenetic studies reported in last decade, based on molecular markers, have reshaped the classification system of Kingdom fungi, which divided into one subkingdom, seven phyla, and ten subphyla. Recent advances in molecular mycology have opened the way for researchers to identify and characterize novel fungal species from unique environments. Mycology is concerned with the systematic study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their use to humans as a source of medicine and food, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning and infections. In the 21st century with the development of DNA sequencing technologies and phylogenetic analysis based on molecular markers, new insights into fungal taxonomy were provided. This book contains a thorough discussion of molecular characterization and detection of different groups of fungi by using PCR-based markers and provides a comprehensive view of the applications and uses of different molecular markers in molecular mycology. It also addresses the recent molecular markers employed to solve the problems of identification and discusses current approaches used in molecular characterization and detection of fungi.




Laboratory Handbook of Medical Mycology


Book Description

Laboratory Handbook of Medical Mycology summarizes the concepts dealing with the laboratory aspects of medical mycology. The publication first offers information on basic terminology and classification, laboratory safety, and clinical specimens. Discussions focus on tissue, abscess, blood, bone marrow, and urine specimens, biological hazards, disinfection and sterilization, grounding of electrical equipment, waste disposal, asexual and sexual reproduction, and vegetative growth. The text then takes a look at mold and yeast identification, including fermentation, temperature studies, asci and ascospores, zygomycetes, cycloheximide resistance, and sporulation and sterile isolates. The manuscript ponders on susceptibility testing and bioassay procedures, culture collection, and quality control. Topics include proficiency evaluations, media and equipment control, depositing unusual isolates in major culture collections, reconstituting lyophilized cultures, bioassay to determine drug levels in body fluids, and in vitro susceptibility testing. The publication is a dependable source of data for laboratory technologists, microbiologists, and mycologists engaged in safely isolating and accurately identifying fungi of medical importance.