The Problem of Spore‐Forming Bacteria in Food Preservation and Tentative Solutions

There are about 200 species of spore-producing bacteria included in about 25 genera usually belonging to the Bacillaceae family. This chapter describes the phenomenon by which the vegetative cell becomes a spore (sporulation), as well as the reverse process (germination). It presents the structure of a spore, since it is from this structure that spores derive their high resistance. The chapter then discusses the problems of spore-forming bacteria in the food domain and different approaches to control them. In the food industry, the sporulation step is of major interest as it is the phenomenon that leads not only to the acquisition, but also to the extension of spore resistance. Under electron microscopy, bacterial spores reveal structures that are greatly different from those of the initial vegetative cells. One of the fundamental problems of spore forming bacteria is the high resistance of their spores, which limits the effectiveness of food sterilization methods.