Microbial Adaptation: Food Safety Point of View

Call for Papers

Microbial foodborne pathogens and spoilage microflora are responsible for considerable economic losses in food production and healthcare systems. Bacteria have developed a number of adaptive mechanisms allowing them to resist disinfection, presence of antimicrobials, and food processing procedures. Food has been considered important source of microorganisms resistant to a variety of factors, serving as a vector of their spread but also as reservoir of resistance genes. The significance of genes encoding antibiotic resistance is frequently considered in light of their contribution to evolution of resistance in the community.

It was already found that some physical and chemical conditions can favor microorganisms to better survive lethal treatment, while others make them more susceptible to inactivation. Numerous strategies to control microbial populations in food were applied so far. Alternative approaches to currently used methods of microbial reduction are still developed. Intraspecies polymorphism of microbial response to a range of already used and novel procedures and substances used in food processing remains largely unknown. This knowledge should influence modeling of microbial inactivation. Screening projects revealed a number of natural substances having impact on bacterial survival or virulence. Some of them can be used as food additives or incorporated into materials applied in food packaging. It can be expected that research in this area will lead to the design of innovative technologies significantly improving food safety. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• New strategies of inactivation of microbial pathogens in food
• Microbial adaptation to inactivation procedures
• Resistance of foodborne pathogens to chemicals and antimicrobials
• Persistence of pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate surfaces

In addition, manuscripts reporting on the following topics will be welcome:

• Adaptation of pathogenic microorganisms to procedures and substances used in food manufacture
• Food as reservoir of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms
• Intraspecies polymorphism of effects of sublethal treatment on bacterial count
• Evaluation of alternative processing procedures and effects of natural and synthetic substances on microbial count and virulence

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/bmri/biotechnology/ma/ according to the following timetable:

Lead Guest Editor

• Jacek Bania, Department of Food Hygiene and Consumer Health Protection, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wrocław, Poland

Guest Editors

• Jacek Osek, Department of Hygiene of Food of Animal Origin, National Veterinary Research Institute, 24-100 Pulawy, Poland
• Kevin Allen, Department of Food, Nutrition and Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4