Bacteria In Australia Essay

Bacteria can be found virtually anywhere on the planet, even in the most remote places. They belong to the oldest group of organisms. This is chiefly due to the essence that they can endure in places where other forms of life can’t. A majority of the bacteria that are in existence are contemplated to be harmful. Today I will be going over the types of bacteria that are found in foods and the threats and benefits that they pose. Many who live in our current era have presumably heard of “Foodborne illness”. This illness is common, yet an avertible public health challenge that causes an estimated 48 million illnesses and 3,000 deaths each year in the United States. This illness is a result of consuming foods that have been contaminated. Everyone

As thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our environment. These microorganisms that cause disease are called pathogens and when certain pathogens enter the food supply, they can cause foodborne illness. However, most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented with proper cooking or processing of food as this will destroy the pathogens. Another way to prevent it is by “keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot”, doing this will prevent the bacteria from rapidly proliferating because bacteria tend to multiply quickly between 40 °F and 140

Many of us conceptualize bacteria as something that causes harm and we try our best to avoid it. However, we should understand that this is not true in all cases as various bacteria have been used in numerous foods. Many of the foods that we consume on a regular basis and consider appetizing have a little more to it than what we see on the outside while we are eating it. Here are just few of the foods we eat that use bacteria in its production: yogurt, cheese, butter, kefir, dill pickles, and sauerkraut. One may not realize this, but these foods are made tasty by the hard work of bacteria and fungi. For instance, in cheese and yogurt, a starter culture is responsible for the taste and texture of the final product. Also, dill pickles are simply fermented cucumbers and a bacteria called Streptococci starts the process of fermentation, but as the pH level falls, leuconostoc and pediococcus species, as well as Lactobacillus plantarum continue the process.

A major benefit of bacteria in foods can be seen in probiotic cultures as these cultures are all very carefully selected strains, and there is good indication that they help revamp digestion, and protect the immune system. From our childhood we have been taught to avoid bacteria as much as possible, however, we fail to realize that not all bacteria are detrimental, after all, the human body itself consists of bacteria. Below I have listed seven reasons