This text has been revised to include new sections on stress response, mycobatcterium spp., risk analysis and new foodborne health problems such as BSE. The book covers the three main aspects of interaction between micro-organisms and food - spoilage, foodborn illness and fermentation - and the affective the presence of micro-organisms in food and their capacity to survive and grow. Also included are developments in procedures used to assay and control the microbiological quality of food.