IAFP 2011
Milwaukee, WI, USA
August 1, 2011

Summary

Spore-forming bacteria present in ingredients and processed foods may form spores that are more resistant to typical food process mitigation strategies like heat, freezing, chemicals, desiccation, high pressure, and so forth than vegetative cells. These spores require more rigorous conditions for inactivation, and as a result present unique challenges for control in shelf-stable and temperature-controlled food products. This symposium examined new scientific information regarding this diverse group of spore-forming bacteria and their role in food safety and food spoilage. In addition, no discussion of food spoilage is complete without including lactic acid bacteria. Even though lactic acid bacteria are not spore formers, they play an important role in spoilage of several types of processed foods.

Co-Conveners: Jean Anderson, General Mills; Wafa Birbari, Sara Lee Corporation; Martin Wiedmann, Cornell University

Program

Clostridium Botulinum: What Is New?
Guy Skinner, PhD, US Food and Drug Administration/National Center for Food Safety and Technology 

Clostridium Perfringens: New Insights Into an Old Pathogen
Ron Labbe, PhD, University of Massachusetts

Bacillus spp. That Can Act as Spoilage Organisms and Pathogens: Bacillus Cereus, Bacillus Licheniformis, and Others
Jenny Scott, US Food and Drug Administration

Psychrotolerant Spore Formers of the Family Bacillaceae as Emerging Food Spoilage Organisms: Paenibacillus and Others
Matthew Ranieri, Cornell University

Processed Meat Spoilage and Product Quality: From Lactics to Weird Clostridium sp.
Steven Goodfellow, PhD, Deibel Laboratories, Inc.

Roundtable Discussion
Speakers and Conveners