Salmonella: A Practical Approach to the Organism and its Control in Foods by C. Bell and A. Kyriakides
Paperback, 7 chapters, 330 pages (December, 2001)
List price: US$64.99. UK£39.50 currency converter (new window)
Published by Iowa State University Press, 2121 State Avenue, Ames, Iowa 50014-8300, USA Tel. +1 515 292 0140
ISBN 0-632-05519-7 Contents list & Synopsis
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This excellent book is part of a series 'The Practical Food Microbiology Series' which covers E. coli, Listeria, Clostridium botulinum and now Salmonella. Of the authors, Chris Bell is an independent food microbiologist and Alec Kyriakides is the head of product safety at Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd., the second biggest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom and very much at the sharp end of food hygiene and its control.
Salmonellae are the second most common cause of food poisoning in man after campylobacter, but are considered to be the more important because of the potential severity of the infection.
Chapter one describes the background to the organism, its taxonomy, which has recently changed, the illness and a large list of the sources of salmonella. Meat, especially from poultry (chicken, turkey and duck) may have a contamination rate of 33-88%, eggs 0.43%, raw red meat 3% and raw sausage 8%. Of considerable concern also is the potential contamination rate of many vegetables, including some salad products such as lettuce, of 6-68%. Chapter two gives vivid and detailed examples of some of the cases involving bean sprouts, salami, orange juice, chocolate, infant dried milk, pasteurised milk cheese and home made ice cream made from raw eggs.
Factors affecting growth and survival of salmonella are covered in Chapter three.
Chapters four and five cover the (food) industry's methods of controlling salmonella and the use of flow diagrams and HAACP control points are particularly graphic. The test methods are covered in Chapter six and the future summarised in Chapter seven. 'The ubiquitous nature of salmonella that has been associated with outbreaks of salmonellosis should be enough of a warning to food scientists that salmonella is a potential hazard to any food productive process.'
With the increasing concern over the issue of salmonellosis in pigs, particularly in the UK, this book is refreshing in its outlook and puts into perspective the many potential causes of salmonella infection in man.
D.G.S. Burch
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