L18: Safe water and Applied Food Microbiology

Question 1

Which laws determine potable/wholesome water?

Answer 1

Water Supply Regulations 2010/Water Act 2003

Question 2

What is detailed by the water supply regulations?

Answer 2

The samples, the frequency and what analyses should be performed e.g. microbiological, aesthetic, chemical

Question 3

What does water aesthetics include?

Answer 3

Colour, turbidity, taste

Question 4

What does chemical contents of water include?

Answer 4

Inorganic, organic eg pesticides

Question 5

What does the microbiological content of water include?

Answer 5

Coliforms, Clostridia, Crypto

Question 6

Per what amount of water are microbes measured by?

Answer 6

Per 100ml, apart from crypto which is per 10L

Question 7

What is aquifer/ground water?

Answer 7

Old water slowly filtered

Question 8

What are the components of aquifer/ground water like?

Answer 8

Good microbiological and chemical properties

Question 9

What are two examples of surface water?

Answer 9

Reservoirs and rivers

Question 10

What can surface water be contaminated by?

Answer 10

Agricultural run-off, eutrophication, floods, humans, nitrates from farming, heavy metals from roads

Question 11

Who inspects water?

Answer 11

Drinking Water Inspectorate

Question 12

When can water sampling be done?

Answer 12

During treatment, storage or at customer taps

Question 13

What does water sampling frequency depend on?

Answer 13

Sample point and test

Question 14

What are the usual hazards from waste water?

Answer 14

Biological or chemical e.g. slurry/nitrates from farms, drugs, SRM, contaminated abattoir material, organic pollutants from industry

Question 15

Which pollutant can cause cancer in beluga whales?

Answer 15

PAH (persistent organic pollutants)

Question 16

What can some boat paints do to molluscs?

Answer 16

Become sterile due to endocrine disruption

Question 17

In the UK, who controls discharge into sewers?

Answer 17

Water companies

Question 18

Which law controls water discharge into sewers?

Answer 18

Water Industry Act

Question 19

Who audits discharge into sewers?

Answer 19

Trade Effluent Inspectors

Question 20

What is specified by the Water Industry Act?

Answer 20

Levels and what is permitted

Question 21

Who produces a Consent to Discharge?

Answer 21

Businesses

Question 22

Who controls and monitors what is discharged to water courses after it has been treated?

Answer 22

The Environment Agency

Question 23

Who sets the standards for what is discharged to water courses after it has been treated?

Answer 23

EU Water Framework Directive

Question 24

What two things are controls on what is discharged to water courses after it has been treated important for?

Answer 24

Bathing water and shellfish hygiene

Question 25

What causes Legionnaire's disease?

Answer 25

Legionella pneumophila

Question 26

What is mild Legionnaire's called?

Answer 26

Lochgoilhead disease, Pontiac fever

Question 27

What does severe Legionnaire's cause?

Answer 27

Pneumonia

Question 28

What is mortality if severe Legionnaire's?

Answer 28

10-25%

Question 29

Where do you get Legionnaire's from?

Answer 29

AC, spa, ingestion, biofilms

Question 30

Which animals has Legionnaire's cases been reported in?

Answer 30

Cattle

Question 31

What is temperature growth range for Legionnaire's?

Answer 31

Optimum at 40, active from 20

Question 32

What disease outbreak has been caused by dams?

Answer 32

Schistosomiasis

Question 33

What disease outbreak has been caused by irrigation projects?

Answer 33

Japanese B encephalitis

Question 34

What is the reservoir of Japanese B encephalitis?

Answer 34

Pigs

Question 35

What do toxic metabolites of Cyanobacterium cause in UK livestock and pets?

Answer 35

Occasional enteritis and death

Question 36

What three things enhance eutrophication?

Answer 36

Raised phosphate, raised nitrogen, increased surface water temperaure

Question 37

What bacteria can be present in a biofilm?

Answer 37

Mycobacterium, pseudomonas, legionella, fusobacteria, staphylococcus

Question 38

What cfu/ml does a biofilm contain?

Answer 38

>10,000

Question 39

What is EU guideline of cfu/ml?

Answer 39

100

Question 40

What is legislation on pharmaceutical contaminants like?

Answer 40

Little

Question 41

What is the level of pharmaceutical contaminatants like?

Answer 41

Low grade

Question 42

Who is responsible for testing water regularly?

Answer 42

FBO, water distributor

Question 43

Who must audit water testing?

Answer 43

OV

Question 44

Who must audit and inspect microbiological sampling of animal-derived food?

Answer 44

The OV

Question 45

Is it the law to do microbiological sampling of animal-derived foods?

Answer 45

Yes

Question 46

What are the two types of microbiological criteria?

Answer 46

Food safety criteria, process hygiene criteria

Question 47

What does process hygiene criteria do?

Answer 47

Ensure production is operating properly

Question 48

What must happen if food safety criteria are not met?

Answer 48

Must withdraw/recall

Question 49

What must happen if process hygiene criteria are not met?

Answer 49

Find out why and ensure it does not happen again

Question 50

What is an ACC?

Answer 50

Aerobic colony count (bacteria that can survive on the surface of carcases)

Question 51

How does ACC give an idea of the keeping quality of the meat?

Answer 51

Includes spoilage organisms

Question 52

How do enterobacteria get on the surface of a carcase?

Answer 52

Faecal or environmental contamination

Question 53

What aspects of the microbiological tests must an OV audit?

Answer 53

Sampling method, bacteriological method, results, response to adverse events

Question 54

What three things must the microbiological tests be done on?

Answer 54

Carcases, minced eat, environment

Question 55

Which foods are checked for Listeria?

Answer 55

Baby food, cheese, pate, salmon

Question 56

What is minced meat tested for?

Answer 56

Salmonella

Question 57

What is the maximum allowed level of Salmonella?

Answer 57

None - must be absent

Question 58

How many sample sites must you do for each carcase?

Answer 58

4

Question 59

Which is the only species which is microbiologically sampled after it has been chilled?

Answer 59

Poultry

Question 60

What are two methods of taking microbiological samples?

Answer 60

Excision or wet-dry swab technique

Question 61

What three things do you culture for?

Answer 61

Total viable count, enterobacteria, Salmonella

Question 62

What are critical limits like for samples taken by swabs?

Answer 62

20% lower

Question 63

What are criteria like in baby food?

Answer 63

Higher

Question 64

What do you test for in fish?

Answer 64

Histamine

Question 65

What do you test for in live bivalve mollsucs?

Answer 65

E Coli

Question 66

What do you test for in dry infant formula?

Answer 66

E Sakazaki

Question 67

What do you test for in cheese?

Answer 67

Staph

Question 68

What do you test for in ready to eat foods?

Answer 68

Listeria

Question 69

What do you test for in meat, cheese, butter, eggs, sprouted seeds

Answer 69

Salmonella

Question 70

How long must the OV keep records for?

Answer 70

18 months

Question 71

How many weeks of data must the OV have available?

Answer 71

The last 13 weeks

Question 72

How many consecutive satisfactory results must you have before moving to fortnightly testing?

Answer 72

6

Question 73

What happens if you are outside the critical limits?

Answer 73

Must implement and document corrective procedures and return to weekly sampling

Question 74

What must happen before an environemental sample can be taken?

Answer 74

Must be visibly clean

Question 75

How many environmental samples do you need every 2 weeks?

Answer 75

10

Question 76

What are two methods of taking environmental samples?

Answer 76

Agar plate or peptone broth wetted swabs

Question 77

What length must each environmental sample cover?

Answer 77

20cm