Wiley Handbook of Science and Technology for Homeland Security, 4 Volume Set

MICROBIOLOGICAL DETECTORS FOR FOOD SAFETY APPLICATIONS

EVANGELYN C. ALOCILJA AND SUDESHNA PAL

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

1 BIOSECURITY AND FOOD SAFETY THREATS

The complexity of the US food supply chain from cradle to grave provides numerous entry points and routes in which (inadvertent and intentional) contaminants and pathogens can be introduced into the nation's food system. For example, a simple hamburger, consisting of a bun, a beef patty, tomato, lettuce, cheese, and onion, is made of at least 50 ingredients which could include hundreds of sources when we consider the raw materials, processing, transportation, and finished product. Furthermore, these ingredients may come from across the globe, crossing the US border in less than 24 h. The recent scandal on melamine-tainted pet foods (and maybe human food through melamine-tainted animal feed) is one example of how the food supply can potentially be sabotaged.

The use of microorganisms as biological weapons has long been reported in history. One of the first major attacks that have been reported occurred in the 14^th century with Yersenia pestis during the siege of Kaffa [1]. The most recent was the deliberate release of Bacillus anthracis spores through the postal system in the United States in October 2001, shortly after the terrorist attack, resulting in 22 cases of anthrax and five deaths [2]. Inhalational anthrax has a high mortality rate of about 100% and the ...