Key findings:

Key findings include: the modern food business uses a variety of surfaces that can harbor microorganisms causing food cross-contamination; controlling microbiological risks is mainly done through HACCP-based procedures, with surface microbial testing as a control measure; there is a need for standardized regulations and efficient, uniform methods for microbial prevention and analysis in the food industry.

What is known and what is new?

What is known is the concept of microfinance as a tool for financial inclusion and poverty alleviation. What is new is the detailed analysis of the various components of microfinance, including loans, savings, insurance, and other services, as well as the growing demand and impact of the microfinance industry globally.

What is the implication, and what should change now?

The implication is that effective methods for removing microbes from food contact surfaces are crucial for ensuring food safety and public health. Changes needed include the development of standardized regulations and technical criteria for surface microbial contamination, as well as the implementation of efficient and uniform methods for microbial prevention and analysis across the food industry.

The core of this study explains about the microorganisms in one of the main food resources in the world: Buffaloes' dairy products. To reveal the risk of drinking contaminated milk, individuals should look at the microorganism count in various milks. Elsewhere, the paper also discusses this kind of contamination in yogurt and buttermilk. Nonetheless, it is an important fact that this kind of contamination will appear in any dairy product after a certain period of time because food corruption is a diffuse problem. Only regular microbiological examinations provide assurance of the safety of food to be used by all consumers. [1, 2]

Furthermore, there are several circumstances, including environmental and nutritional issues, that can exacerbate this widespread problem. Food is conveniently spoiled by microorganisms and mycotoxins at 25–30°C or it turns out to be mildly contaminated before consumption. In other words, extremely hot days are highly relative to food contamination. As the likelihood rises that food will be corrupted, the latent threat of eating corrupted food also increases, so this type of food poisoning has the capability to be extremely harmful seasonally. To ward off damage to health, the populace should make every effort to not leave food out for extended periods in public locations, where hot temperatures put food at higher risk of contamination. It would be nice if individuals would be careful about eating. [3, 4]

Food can be contaminated with less tangible materials such as microorganisms and mycotoxins. Contaminated foods are a very big problem all over the world. Food contamination is the process that food is corrupted by some material, generally by microorganisms (fungi and bacteria), mycotoxins (aflatoxin, ochratoxin, patulin, etc.), and sometimes chemical agents such as pesticides, heavy metals, and plastic. These materials are released as universal pollutants and may accidentally contact food. A great number of these materials can enter into the food chain at any time. Although the contamination accompanies different problems in countries everywhere, high incidence of food contamination frequently arises in these spring-to-summer months. [5, 6]

1.1. Definition and Types of Contaminated Microorganisms

When it is considered from the harmful aspect, a variety of microorganisms or slightly different structure families emerge as the main four groups: Bacteria, Yeasts, Molds, and Viruses. As the first sitting of the development of the human flora and whether it may replace the flora influenced by its presence, viruses are not considered in the development of the microflora. The others prevent the formation of a structure called the microflora. Therefore, although we do not evaluate the presence of the microflora, we describe the world of microorganisms as the contaminated microorganisms, infected microorganisms for the fungi, and the infectious microorganisms for viruses. [7, 8]

In terms of food, most of the microorganisms are beneficial for the nutrition and live balance in humans' and animals' gastro track. It is known that the gastrointestinal flora is formed by 100,000 to 100,000,000 microorganisms. Therefore, our aim is to use the term "contaminated" or "harmful" when microorganisms are in an overwhelming concentration in the food and to specify the contaminated or harmful microorganisms. In contrast to beneficial or inert cases, the burden of contaminated microorganisms in humans and animals can go up to intolerable amounts in terms of species and quantity. The important point here is to separate the harmful microorganisms from the beneficial ones and prevent the formation of the necessary ground for their development. Thus, it will be possible to achieve the least "minimum infection dose" with the formation of good hygienic conditions in food handling and consumption. [9, 10]

Microbial pollution of food is mainly from pathogenic microorganisms in the environment. Poor personal hygiene or failure to comply with food handling, resulting in cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods, is one of the main causes of food contamination. This also includes the transmission of the virus after eating by pointing the opportunity to the tableware. In addition to cutting boards, tables, kitchen supplies, and other equipment, contact with food infected by bacteria and viruses, as well as polluted water and raw material pollutants, also become vectors that introduce contaminants. Contaminated food can have a certain storage time before consumption, potentially leading to a large number of diseases caused by food poisoning when consumed. The rapid detection and identification of microorganisms in food have now become an important goal to ensure that food is healthy and safe. [11, 12]

The most common microorganisms found in food are bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, among which bacteria and viruses are the main contaminants responsible for food poisoning. Species such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Listeria monocytogenes, and pathogenic Escherichia coli have often been associated with food poisoning. Viral risk assessment has gained increasing attention. Noroviruses are recognized as one of the major causes of viral gastroenteritis worldwide and are mostly related to foodborne illness due to their high infectivity and low infectious dose. HCV and HBV infected patients may act as a source of infection by contaminating food products, such as fish. [3, 13]

2.1. Bacteria

Afferent Clostridium, Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Listeria, and Pediococcus are known for the spoilage and preservation of meats. Other than bacteria, the growth of molds and yeasts is delayed in lactic acid-producing and other acidic foods. Acidic food spoilage should be recognizable as a spoiled condition or with the off-flavor associated with the bacteria. The formation of gas pockets or slime of swollen or ruptured cans may also occur. Gram staining can recognize the different bacteria characteristics, such as germination endospores, rods, cocci, or filaments. Bacterial isolation can be carried out based on the colonies in pure culture, which can further link the auxiliary tests formulations, fermentation wavelengths, and pH or genus characterization and identify. [14, 15]

Bacteria are ubiquitous in nature and dominate the microbiota in foods. Bacteria grow rapidly under favorable conditions and can produce large, visible populations, making them relatively easy to isolate and study. The destruction of cell wall and bacterial cells occurs in excess acids within food systems. The proportion of organic and inorganic acid content in food also increases the level of bacterial destruction. The majority of bacteria are killed at temperatures between 70-85 °C within 7.5-15 min. Temperatures below 0 °C only delay treatment or spoilage but do not fully halt the effects. [14, 16]

2.2. Viruses

In general, viruses are resistant to many chemical disinfectants and since they have no metabolic activity, they can survive very harsh conditions such as pH and temperature. For these reasons, temperature represents the main way adopted for viral inactivation in foods, and thus consumers are at risk of consuming raw foods such as shellfish and fresh products without specific treatments. The most effective method to control viruses is through good hygiene practices at all stages of production, preparation, distribution, and consumption of foodstuffs. [16, 17]

Viruses are the cause of many diseases in animals and humans. The source of human virus contamination in food is mainly feces when the food handler is suffering from a viral infection. The viruses most often found in food and implicated in foodborne diseases are noroviruses, astroviruses, rotaviruses, and hepatotropic viruses (hepatitis A and E). There are also others like adenoviruses, coronaviruses, and many more. The pathology of viral disease includes changes that negatively impact livestock, gear more market losses, and can also be the cause of professional accidents associated with carrying out the work. [13]

2.3. Fungi

2.2. Bacteria In the past few years, the economic performance of bacterial contamination has become a hidden worry. Some bacterial tissues can cause hemolysis and decompose the protein in food, which lowers the quality of the product and makes it inedible. Furthermore, due to the advantages of high nutritional content and suitable growth temperature range, some harmful bacteria not only endanger human health but also affect the normal growth of some fungi and affect the taste of edible fungi. On the other hand, there are also fungal strains that kill bacteria, which affects the fermentation of bacteria and endangers human health. Due to the large number of bacteria and viruses present, in the work on foodborne pathogens, these pathogenic bacteria need to be continuously monitored to ensure food safety. We summarize the studies to clarify the general situation of foodborne bacteria. [18]

Some microorganisms are utilized in the preparation of food, which can change and add to the existing attributes of the ingredients or change the chemical and physical attributes of the food. The resultant product can be so changed that it is no longer suitable for colonization by pathogenic microorganisms and thus will never become a source of foodborne illness. However, the injudicious use or handling of this group of microorganisms can also negatively impact the microbiological profile of the subsequent product both economically and in terms of public health. In most cases, controlling such use is a matter of using good hygiene and careful process control on the part of those involved in the chains of production and distribution. [16, 19]

Microbes are associated with a multitude of health ailments. They can cause infections and illnesses when they contaminate human or animal tissues and can ferment food, often producing toxic byproducts of their metabolic activity. When the potential health threats associated with consuming harmful microorganisms are severe, these contaminants are named adulterants and are subject to regulation at various levels. Pathogenic bacteria, parasites, and viruses can invade the human body and cause infections and illnesses that often require treatment with medications. [20]

Microorganisms generally exceed the minimum limits of entry and growth of bacteria. Their defense mechanisms are weak, and they change their environments and use various physiological variables such as temperature, humidity, and nutrition density to grow, multiply, and produce toxins, secondary metabolites, mycotoxins, or creatine-amine. In periods of struggle, the principle of continuous heat or continuous reduction, which is a physical factor, is used to kill microorganisms spontaneously or by acting for a period of time during the production, storage, and presentation of food. Various control methods and active packaging, which are another important application area, are used. The selection of the most appropriate control method depends on the type of effect, the food matrix, the target microorganism, and the possible effect on the quality of the food. This review focuses on the physical and chemical techniques used in preventing and controlling the emergence of foodborne illness, health problems caused by contaminated food due to inadequate control measures, and the loss of income from agricultural organizations. At the same time, current research on active packaging that prevents contamination or extends the duration of biosorbents encourages the use of renewable feedstock to support environmental principles, and packaging is reviewed. Avoiding contamination by increasing the use of these packages. In addition, the most effective coating or film methods and the active substances that can be added remain important. [16, 21, 22]

As sharing food is one of the most basic instincts of humans, food has always been subject to bacterial contamination. Bacteria, viruses, prions, and unicellular organisms, which are old microorganisms of the microbial kingdom, as well as physical factors such as heat, cold, dryness, and adverse conditions, and algae, spores, and cysts, chemical solvents, dust, cobwebs, air pollution, dirty cooking, and consumption of contaminated food and water can cause health problems and compromise safety. It is known that food poisoning and deaths caused by foodborne microorganisms are worldwide and show a continuous increase. For this reason, the prevention of food contamination is of great importance in terms of public health. [14, 23]

4.1. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)

Some authors emphasize the importance of implementing good practices in the production of meals in a food and nutrition unit. These practices also aim to always prevent hazards in a food establishment. There are various control measures for the prevention of microbiological contamination, with a focus on cleaning, disinfection, and sanitation of the facilities. These measures help interrupt the contamination of perishable food. The training of handlers and those involved in the production process is essential to guarantee the microbiological quality of the meals. It is important to emphasize the importance of the working staff, as they contribute to ensuring that the meals served in commercial or collective establishments are safe from a microbiological perspective. [3, 24]

The implementation of good management and manufacturing practices in the industrial area offers many advantages. It eliminates the need to establish control and monitoring procedures to reduce the risk of contamination by physical, chemical, or biological hazards in food. These practices aim to always prevent hazards in a food establishment. There are several control measures for the prevention of microbiological contamination in industries, including training for handlers and personnel involved, as well as the use of appropriate equipment. These practices significantly contribute to the prevention of microbiological contamination risks in food, ensuring its safety and quality. [20]

4.2. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)

Recently, about 90 percent of the food microbiology test samples of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) and the Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program-Luther are path retrieved. Of all the items, the test for Escherichia coli is largely performed on the head of all food additives due to similar social problems to the Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak of 1995, and about 11 percent and 2 percent of the total samples of the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) and the Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program-Luther, respectively. With growing concerns of healthy and quality food, and the production and management of safer food is a common property of all people, the spread of microbiological contaminants of food hygiene management has been proven to be the best way of technological composition. In particular, the microbiological contamination model of appropriate use of differentiation, separation, extraction, concentration, and purification uses a number of state-of-the-art biotechnology tools, such as genetic engineering, immunomagnetic separation, molecular and electro-optical characteristics, PCR, LCR, mRNA spectrum profiling assay, and gene mapping. [14, 23]

Various bacteria and viruses originating from humans are present in food products and they cause food poisoning. As demand for food safety increases, many countries are installing preventive countermeasure systems in the food production and distribution stages. In particular, the most widely adopted advanced food safety operating system is the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). Although HACCP is used as a standard for food hygiene in countries such as the U.S. and Japan, only 50 facilities in Korea are applied nationwide with 21 plants in the process of entering and applying. In the United States, consuming foods obtained from approximately 5% of the HACCP-certified facilities is considered safe. In fact, there are no HACCP-affiliated facilities in our country or in China. This chapter aims to change the sanitation management system in the food industry from visual eye checks to the scientific analysis results through prompt monitoring and diagnostics of the increasing induced food poisoning of foods caused by abuse of food supply. The above chapter starts by briefly examining the advances of contamination levels in microorganisms in national and international food and health markets, and trends and lists basics in HACCP Affiliated Manufacturers. [18, 21]

Overall, by addressing a comprehensive study about contaminated microorganisms in food with a wide range of area applications, both regarding scientific studies and food categories studied, this paper restrains the not easy work of searching the literature, classifying and systematizing its production, selects references, and discovers gaps that need to be fulfilled in the future. Without a doubt, this comprehensive paper, finely outlined, assimilated, and synthesized contributes to environmental management, human consumption, and quality standards of food products.

Based on the scientific survey of institutional databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and SciELO, 20,689 scientific and technological pieces of research were analyzed from 2006 to 2018 in order to understand the trends and applications of the usage of contaminated microorganism terminology applied to the food domain. This dataset was used to explore the intellectual studies in three specific research lines dedicated to (1) contaminated microorganisms definition and exemplification; (2) contaminated microorganisms in food products; and (3) detection and identification of contaminated microorganisms in food products. From this analysis, the opportunities for developing more specific future research such as creating new and/or using existing controlled microbial vocabularies, deeper research of food preservation, technological interventions, and recent analytical methods for detecting and identifying food contaminants were suggested.

Funding: No funding sources.

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Ethical approval: The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Northern Technical University

1. Fusco, Vincenzina, et al. "Microbial quality and safety of milk and milk products in the 21st century." Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 19.4 (2020): 2013-2049. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12568 

2. Owusu-Kwarteng, James, et al. "Microbial safety of milk production and fermented dairy products in Africa." Microorganisms 8.5 (2020): 752. Vhttps://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8050752 

3. .Lennard, Louise B. "Food microbiology and food poisoning." Food and Nutrition. Routledge, 2020. 132-154. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003115663-11/food-microbiology-food-poisoning-louise-lennard 

4. Uysal, İmran, et al. "Microbial Spoilage In Food And Its Agents, Cold Chain And Measures To Prolong Microbial Spoilage." مجله علوم و صنایع غذایی ایران 20.140 (2023): 16-27.‎ http://fsct.modares.ac.ir/files/fsct/user_files_749497/sevindik-A-10-75613-1-9bfb85c.pdf 

5. Tripathi, Abhishek, and Afroz Alam. "Mycotoxins, Mycotoxicosis and Managing Mycotoxin Contamination: A Review." Bio-management of postharvest diseases and mycotoxigenic fungi (2020): 161-180. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003089223-9/mycotoxins-mycotoxicosis-managing-mycotoxin-contamination-abhishek-tripathi-afroz-alam 

6. Akhila, Plachikkattu Parambil, et al. "Application of innovative packaging technologies to manage fungi and mycotoxin contamination in agricultural products: Current status, challenges, and perspectives." Toxicon 214 (2022): 18-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2022.04.017 

7. Haq, Muhammad Anwar Ul. "New Insights on Role of Different Microbes in Food Poisoning, Food Spoilage and Advances in Food Technology." Saudi J Med Pharm Sci 7.10 (2021): 473-476. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Muhammad-Anwar-Ul-Haq-5/publication/355575938_New_Insights_on_Role_of_Different_Microbes_in_Food_Poisoning_Food_Spoilage_and_Advances_in_Food_Technology/links/6177225ca767a03c14b4d7e9/New-Insights-on-Role-of-Different-Microbes-in-Food-Poisoning-Food-Spoilage-and-Advances-in-Food-Technology.pdf 

8. Soni, Aswathi, et al. "Hyperspectral imaging and machine learning in food microbiology: Developments and challenges in detection of bacterial, fungal, and viral contaminants." Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 21.4 (2022): 3717-3745. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12983 

9. Paul, John. Disease Causing Microbes. (2024).

10. Lamichhane, Purushottam, et al. "Colorectal cancer and probiotics: are bugs really drugs?." Cancers 12.5 (2020): 1162.https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers12051162 

11. Soon, Jan Mei, Anna KM Brazier, and Carol A. Wallace. "Determining common contributory factors in food safety incidents–A review of global outbreaks and recalls 2008–2018." Trends in Food Science & Technology 97 (2020): 76-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2019.12.030 

12. Al Banna, Md Hasan, et al. "Factors associated with food safety knowledge and practices among meat handlers in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study." Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 26.1 (2021): 84.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12199-021-01004-5 

13. Aljamali, Nagham Mahmood, M. Najim, and A. Alabbasy. "Review on food poisoning (types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment)." Global Academic Journal of Pharmacy and Drug Research 3.4 (2021): 54-61.https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nagham-Aljamali/publication/355827720_Review_on_Food_poisoning_Types_Causes_Symptoms_Diagnosis_Treatment/links/61804c1c3c987366c3163fcd/Review-on-Food-poisoning-Types-Causes-Symptoms-Diagnosis-Treatment.pdf 

14. Oladayo, Timileyin, et al. "Most prominent factors of food poisoning in africa: Nigeria based perspective." IPS Journal of Nutrition and Food Science 1.1 (2022): 11-17. https://doi.org/10.54117/ijnfs.v1i1.1 

15. Salgado-Pabón, Wilmara, and Phuong M. Tran. "Staphylococcal food poisoning." Foodborne infections and intoxications. Academic Press, 2021. 417-430.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819519-2.00025-6 

16. Watari, Takashi, et al. "A review of food poisoning caused by local food in Japan." Journal of General and Family Medicine 22.1 (2021): 15-23.https://doi.org/10.1002/jgf2.384 

17. Gupta, P. K., and P. K. Gupta. "Poisonous foods and food poisonings." Problem Solving Questions in Toxicology: A Study Guide for the Board and other Examinations (2020): 229-238. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-50409-0_18 

18. Gallo, Monica, et al. "Relationships between food and diseases: What to know to ensure food safety." Food Research International 137 (2020): 109414.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2020.109414 

19. Patel, Pinkal, Adam S. Komorowski, and Douglas P. Mack. "An allergist's approach to food poisoning." Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 130.4 (2023): 444-451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2022.10.021 

20. Afreen, Maliha, and İlknur Bağdatlı. "Food-borne pathogens in seafood." Eurasian Journal of Agricultural Research 5.1 (2021): 44-58.https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ejar 

21. Ibrahim, Osama O. "Staphylococcus aureus a gram-positive coccid bacterium causing microbial infections, and toxins symptoms including food poisoning." EC Microbiol 16 (2020): 61-76. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Osama-Ibrahim-26/publication/345087705_Staphylococcus_aureus_a_Gram-positive_Coccid_Bacterium_Causing_Microbial_Infections_and_Toxins_Symptoms_Including_Food_Poisoning/links/5f9d99ef299bf1b53e54bc9a/Staphylococcus-aureus-a-Gram-positive-Coccid-Bacterium-Causing-Microbial-Infections-and-Toxins-Symptoms-Including-Food-Poisoning.pdf 

22. Jafar, Nehan Bahaaldden, et al. "Investigation the inhibitory effects of AgNPs generated by Bifidobacterium spp. on bacteria isolated from ready-to-eat foods." Food Science and Technology 42 (2022): e88721. https://doi.org/10.1590/fst.88721 

23. Abebe, Engidaw, Getachew Gugsa, and Meselu Ahmed. "Review on major food‐borne zoonotic bacterial pathogens." Journal of tropical medicine 2020.1 (2020): 4674235. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/4674235 

24. Morya, Sonia, Archibald Ekow Dennis Danquah Amoah, and Stefan Orn Snaebjornsson. "Food poisoning hazards and their consequences over food safety." Microorganisms for sustainable environment and health. Elsevier, 2020. 383-400.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819001-2.00019-X