Chapter 2
I Technology Transported; 1788-1840
II Technology Established; 1840-1940
III The Coming Of Science
IV From Science To Technology: The Post-war Years
i Chemistry
ii Microbiology
iii Food Engineering
iv Nutrition
V Products And Processes
VI Conclusion
VII Acknowledgements
References
Index
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Microbiology (continued)
In the early 1960s food scientists and technologists were made painfully aware of the unsuspected dangers of mycotoxins in the modern food supply. A potent carcinogen was found in mouldy peanuts. It was quickly associated with the growth of Aspergillus flavus and given the name aflatoxin. A brief scare in the Australian peanut industry in 1966 led to the development by CSIRO of a simple field drier for damp peanuts and the danger passed. It reappeared in 1977 in a much more serious form and led to a complete reappraisal of quality control in the peanut industry, both by the Peanut Marketing Board and by industry users of peanuts. CSIRO undertook to hold a watching brief on the subject of mycotoxins generally and a number of industry laboratories began to monitor various raw materials and finished products in which mycotoxins, particularly aflatoxin, may be expected to appear. Tight regulations were introduced, especially as it is now evident that the causative mould is thoroughly established in the soil of the major Australian peanut growing areas. Fortunately, because Australian cattle graze the year round, there is no danger of contamination of the milk supply via stock feeds.[174]A microbiological problem of a different kind was the bacterial rotting of shell eggs. It was found to be due to the passage of bacteria through the shell during the washing of the eggs in certain machines used on the farms and was thus easily corrected when once the cause was found.[175] It is a good example of the value of microbiological work in solving the problems of the food industry. There are many such examples, of which the most important from the viewpoint of public health are those related to sporadic outbreaks of food poisoning.
Most food poisoning cases in the past were not reported. They affected only one or two people, usually at most one family. The most spectacular were those which involved large numbers of people at some catered for public or semi-public function. This latent danger, together with the increase in the restaurant serving of food in smorgasbords, led to regulations governing the temperatures at which such food may be presented; cold meat and salads in beds of ice and hot dishes in bain maries at minimum temperatures. Australia has not yet made it obligatory for people working in the food industry, including catering, to undergo medical checks to ensure that they are not carrying food poisoning organisms, but it should do so.
In recent years there has been a concerted attempt internationally to arrive at satisfactory microbiological standards for foods. Such standards are not easy to achieve but much has been done. Australia, through its representative, J. H. B. Christian, has been prominent in the discussions which have led to the adoption of international standards, some of which have appeared in the Australian Model Food Regulations.
Organisations in Australian Science at Work - CSIRO; Peanut Marketing Board
People in Bright Sparcs - Christian, J. H. B
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Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering |  |
© 1988 Print Edition page 129, Online Edition 2000
Published by Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, using the Web Academic Resource Publisher
http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/128.html