The microbiological safety of food products is affected by many factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic. Most of the extrinsic factors (e.g., atmosphere, temperature) are easy to control and measure, therefore they have extensively been studied. Food products are systems with complex intrinsic characteristics ((micro)structure, composition and physicochemical properties). All these factors influence the microbial dynamics of potential microbiological contaminants. The influence of most of the physicochemical properties of foods, e.g., pH and water activity (a_w) and compositional aspects has also been widely studied. However, the influence of the food (micro)structure has not yet been assessed in depth.

Food (micro)structure is a property extremely difficult to objectively quantify. (Micro)structures have been classified qualitatively in five categories (liquids, emulsions, aqueous gels, gelled emulsions and food surfaces). Emerging studies are being conducted in this field. The target of the studies is oriented to the identification of quantifiable characteristics related to the food (micro)structure. These characteristics could further be used to update the already existing predictive models, by incorporating the relevant food (micro)structural parameters. Most predictive models have been developed on the basis of experimental data conducted in liquid microbiological media or with real foods. In liquid microbiological media, food (micro)structural characteristics are not present while real food products exhibit a high batch to batch variability.

This session aims at discussing recent studies, where (micro)structural aspects of foods have been identified and quantified and their influence on microbial dynamics is being documented. Overall, the future research directions for the scientific community in this domain will emerge from the Workshop. In the end, this influencing factor will be better characterised and incorporated in already existing predictive model structures; as a result, the microbiological food safety of the relevant food products will be assured to a higher extent.

Presentations