"Jane Gonzales" <jrpatto at emory.edu> wrote in message
news:BC51243F.27E6%jrpatto at emory.edu...
> I'm attempting to provide the research for chemists devising a new method
> for detecting pathogenic bacteria in food, and have what I thought would
be
> a simple question. However, after several days of intensive research, I
have
> not been able to put my finger on it, most likely due to my lack of
working
> knowledge in microbiology!
>I hate to pour more cold water on the idea, but one potential problem I can
see (apart from the fact that you're dealing with a wide range of species,
all of which are different and which will produce different products
depending on the food) is that in food microbiology you rarely deal with
pure cultures, and most metabolic products will be seized upon with glee by
something else as a very desirable addition to the menu.....
And then, of course, there's the problem that much food poinoning is dure
to the fact that the bugs (eg E. coli) are themselves the dangerous item,
not their products.....
Lesley Robertson
http://www.beijerinck.bt.tudelft.nl
