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Preface to the Fourth edition
Food microbiology is a rapidly growing and highly dynamic field of study because of continued
incidents of foodborne outbreaks, the threat of intentional contamination of the food supply, and,
of course, the renewed interest in the health-beneficial effects of lactic acid bacteria. Therefore, to
keep up with the advancements in the field, a new edition was warranted. In this fourth edition,
all chapters have been revised and updated, especially chapters covering foodborne diseases. Brief
description of the mechanisms of pathogenesis with easy-to-follow illustrations has been included
for several common foodborne pathogens. A new chapter on detection has been included. In
fact, Appendix E from the third edition, which contained a brief description on various detection
methods, has been updated with more advanced rapid techniques, such as those of biosensorand nanotechnology-based methods. In this edition, attempts were also made to provide easyto-follow illustrations and diagrams as appropriate. As before, this book is written primarily for
undergraduate students; however, with updated revisions in key chapters, this book is an essential
reference for graduate students and professionals working in different areas of food microbiology
or food safety. I take this opportunity to thank my graduate and postdoctoral students in collecting literature materials for this edition.