Mushrooms are part of the fungal kingdom, so very similar to yeast and moulds. But, contrary to what people think, this is not necessarily the reason why they’re of interest to food microbiologists. Salmonella, Listeria and Staphylococcus have all been linked to mushrooms, even as recently as this year, highlighting the need for the industry to remain vigilant when producing, handling and processing this macroorganism.
Most of the mushrooms we see in shops today are of the Genus Agaricus, but we now see a great variety of other mushrooms available in shops - some locally grown and some imported. In Europe, most mushrooms are grown on compost that has often been treated to reduce the level of general bacteria and pathogens that may be present within it. The compost tends to be covered in a casing of peat with lime or chalk to increase pH. It’s kept moist and may be “disturbed” to encourage the formation of fungal mycelium and eventually fruiting bodies, these being the mushroom caps which are harvested for sale.
Now an important part of many people’s diet, what’s the potential for mushrooms to cause bacterial food poisoning?
Comments