6 ◾ Fundamental Food Microbiology
Food fermentation
1822 C.J. Person named the microscopic organism found on the surface of wine during
vinegar production as Mycoderma mesentericum. Pasteur, in 1868, proved that this
organism was associated with the conversion of alcohol to acetic acid and named it
Mycoderma aceti. In 1898, Martinus Beijerinck renamed it Acetobacter aceti.
1837 Theodor Schwann named the organism involved in sugar fermentation as Saccharomyces (sugar fungus).
1838 Charles Cogniard-Latour suggested that growth of yeasts was associated with alcohol
fermentation.
1860 Louis Pasteur showed that fermentation of lactic acid and alcohol from sugar was the
result of growth of specific bacteria and yeasts, respectively.
1883 Emil Christian Hansen used pure cultures of yeasts to ferment beer.
Food spoilage
1804 Francois Nicolas Appert developed methods to preserve foods in sealed glass bottles
by heat in boiling water. He credited this process to Lazzaro Spallanzani (1765), who
first used the method to disprove the spontaneous generation theory.
1819 Peter Durand developed canning preservation of foods in steel cans. Charles Mitchell
introduced tin lining of metal cans in 1839.
1870 L. Pasteur recommended heating of wine at 145°F (62.7°C) for 30 minutes to destroy
souring bacteria. F. Soxhlet advanced boiling of milk for 35 minutes to kill contaminated bacteria. Later, this method was modified and named pasteurization and used
to kill mainly vegetative pathogens and many spoilage bacteria.
1895 Harry Russell showed that gaseous swelling with bad odors in canned peas was a
result of the growth of heat-resistant bacteria (spores).
Foodborne diseases
1820 Justin Kerner described food poisoning from eating blood sausage (resulting from
botulism). Fatal disease from eating blood sausage was recognized as early as
a.d. 900.
1849 John Snow suggested the spread of cholera through drinking water contaminated
with sewage. In 1854, Filippo Facini named the cholera bacilli as Vibrio cholerae,
which was isolated in pure form by Robert Koch in 1884.
1856 William Budd suggested that water contamination with feces from infected persons
spread typhoid fever and advocated the use of chlorine in the water supply to overcome the problem. In 1800, G. de Morveau and W. Cruikshank advocated the use of
chlorine to sanitize potable water.
1885 Theodor Escherich isolated Bacterium coli (later named Escherichia coli) from the
feces and suggested that some strains were associated with infant diarrhea.
1888 A.A. Gartner isolated Bacterium (later Salmonella) enteritidis from the organs of a
diseased man as well as from the meat the man ate. In 1896, Marie von Ermengem
proved that Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis (modern nomenclature) caused a
fatal disease in humans who consumed contaminated sausage.
1894 J. Denys associated pyogenic Staphylococcus with the death of a person who ate meat
prepared from a diseased cow.
1894 Alexandre Yersin, a French scientist first reported a bacillus to be the causative agent
for plague, and later it was named Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis can cause foodborne disease.
Food fermentation
1822 C.J. Person named the microscopic organism found on the surface of wine during
vinegar production as Mycoderma mesentericum. Pasteur, in 1868, proved that this
organism was associated with the conversion of alcohol to acetic acid and named it
Mycoderma aceti. In 1898, Martinus Beijerinck renamed it Acetobacter aceti.
1837 Theodor Schwann named the organism involved in sugar fermentation as Saccharomyces (sugar fungus).
1838 Charles Cogniard-Latour suggested that growth of yeasts was associated with alcohol
fermentation.
1860 Louis Pasteur showed that fermentation of lactic acid and alcohol from sugar was the
result of growth of specific bacteria and yeasts, respectively.
1883 Emil Christian Hansen used pure cultures of yeasts to ferment beer.
Food spoilage
1804 Francois Nicolas Appert developed methods to preserve foods in sealed glass bottles
by heat in boiling water. He credited this process to Lazzaro Spallanzani (1765), who
first used the method to disprove the spontaneous generation theory.
1819 Peter Durand developed canning preservation of foods in steel cans. Charles Mitchell
introduced tin lining of metal cans in 1839.
1870 L. Pasteur recommended heating of wine at 145°F (62.7°C) for 30 minutes to destroy
souring bacteria. F. Soxhlet advanced boiling of milk for 35 minutes to kill contaminated bacteria. Later, this method was modified and named pasteurization and used
to kill mainly vegetative pathogens and many spoilage bacteria.
1895 Harry Russell showed that gaseous swelling with bad odors in canned peas was a
result of the growth of heat-resistant bacteria (spores).
Foodborne diseases
1820 Justin Kerner described food poisoning from eating blood sausage (resulting from
botulism). Fatal disease from eating blood sausage was recognized as early as
a.d. 900.
1849 John Snow suggested the spread of cholera through drinking water contaminated
with sewage. In 1854, Filippo Facini named the cholera bacilli as Vibrio cholerae,
which was isolated in pure form by Robert Koch in 1884.
1856 William Budd suggested that water contamination with feces from infected persons
spread typhoid fever and advocated the use of chlorine in the water supply to overcome the problem. In 1800, G. de Morveau and W. Cruikshank advocated the use of
chlorine to sanitize potable water.
1885 Theodor Escherich isolated Bacterium coli (later named Escherichia coli) from the
feces and suggested that some strains were associated with infant diarrhea.
1888 A.A. Gartner isolated Bacterium (later Salmonella) enteritidis from the organs of a
diseased man as well as from the meat the man ate. In 1896, Marie von Ermengem
proved that Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis (modern nomenclature) caused a
fatal disease in humans who consumed contaminated sausage.
1894 J. Denys associated pyogenic Staphylococcus with the death of a person who ate meat
prepared from a diseased cow.
1894 Alexandre Yersin, a French scientist first reported a bacillus to be the causative agent
for plague, and later it was named Yersinia pestis. Y. pestis can cause foodborne disease.