The scientific discipline of Predictive Microbiology has gained an important role in food industries, regulatory agencies, and academia. Products of this field of research include mathematical models that estimate the behavior of microorganisms throughout the food system, including production and processing environments, and at retail and consumer levels. These models predict the effects of various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that can affect the growth, survival and inactivation of both pathogenic and spoilage organisms.
For more than 15 years, the US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania has excelled in the development of mathematical models for foodborne bacterial pathogens. The USDA/ARS Pathogen Modeling Program (PMP) is one example of a software program which is highly utilized by the food industry to estimate pathogen behavior in food.
The Food Safety Risk Analysis Clearing House is designed to assist those professionals involved with the many aspects of risk analysis as it pertains to the safety of our food. Thus, we provide data, tutorials, tools and links to numerous sources of information.
In addition to providing resources for the food safety risk analysis professional, it also provides consumer-oriented links. There is a brief introduction to the field of food safety risk analysis available.
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