FOS 2001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Foodborne Illness, Food Contaminant, Listeria

• School: University of Florida
• Department: Food Science and Human Nutrition
• Course: FOS 2001
• Professor: Agata Olga Kowalewska

Document Summary

When a person becomes ill after ingesting a contaminated food. Food-borne diseases are caused by consuming pathogens (disease-causing microbes) in contaminated food or drinks. Food poisoning occurs when a microorganism grows in the food and produces some sort of toxin. You eat the food containing the toxin and get sick; the microorganism does not have to be present within you for you to become ill, as it is the toxin that causes the problem, not the microorganism. The severity of the illness depends on the amount of toxin that is consumed, the chemical nature of the toxin, and how reactive and toxic it is. Food infection is caused by microorganisms or bacteria that are present in the food; when the food is ingested, the bacteria end up in the person"s digestive tract and invade the intestinal lining. It is this invasion that produces the illness, usually leading to vomiting and/or diarrhea.