Sanitation and Safety: Part 1

Toxin-producing bacteria There are two very important toxin-producing bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus (staff-uh-luh-cock'-us or'-ee-us), generally referred to as staph, is the most common of the entire toxin producing bacteria. Staph bacteria produce their toxin in many food especially dairy products, foods containing eggs, sauces, and moist high protein foods. They produce their toxins at temperatures of 44-1 1 5°F (7-46°C), temperatures characteristic of preparation and holding of foods. It is very important to realize that these toxins are not killed by subsequent cooking or storage: neither high temperatures nor low temperatures destroy them. The only way to fight these toxins is prevention by keeping foods above or below toxin producing temperatures.

Staph bacteria enter the kitchen most often on people. They are commonly found in the throat and nose, and on the hands and skin, especially in infected areas such as cuts, boils, pimples, and abrasions. People who have such infections should not be handling food at all. But even such precautions cannot eliminate staph bacteria: a cough or sneeze even from a healthy person may send staph bacteria toward food being prepared. That is why we are trained to sneeze in our armpits while cooking. It may be gross to someone out there; but it is a matter of safety to the people you are cooking for and insures that your customers don’t get sick from your cooking.

A second type of toxin producing bacteria is Clostridium botulinus (klos-trid '-ee-um botch-a-lee'-nus). These bacteria produce the toxin causing botulism (botch'-a-lism), a deadly poisoning that kills more than half its victims and can be fatal after a single bite. Botulinus bacteria produce their toxin in low-acid foods in the absence of air in canned foods, for example, or in tightly covered cooked foods stored too long.

High temperatures can destroy botulism toxins. Commercial food processors are under strict regulations to subject canned foods to very high temperatures for long periods, and for the most part commercially canned foods are free of this dread toxin; but errors do occur. You should always examine cans for dents, swelling, and rust or corrosion. Never use contents that look foamy or smell bad. Be alert to announcements of recall of certain lot numbers of canned goods. In addition to watching what you have purchased, keep track of what you have cooked, and throw out leftover foods that are not used within a day or two of preparation.

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