Definitions
CFU
In microbiology, colony forming unit (CFU) is a measure of viable bacterial or fungal cell numbers. While direct microscopic counts comprise all cells, both dead and alive, cfu measures only viable cells. A CFU usually is log10 transformed in order to achieve normal (Gaussian) distribution of collected data and used for calculations of e.g. mean log10 cfu, log reductions and statistical analyses.
EFSA
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the keystone of European Union (EU) risk assessment regarding food and feed safety. EFSA provides independent scientific advice and clear communication on existing and emerging risks.
HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a systematic preventive approach to food safety. It addresses physical, chemical, and biological hazards as a means of prevention rather than finished product inspection. HACCP is used in the food industry to identify potential food safety hazards, so that key actions can be taken to reduce or eliminate the risk of the hazards being realized.
Log reductions
The log reduction of a given microorganism after SonoSteam treatment is defined as the difference in mean log10 cfu between control and treated samples.
Pathogen
A pathogen is an infectious biological agent (e.g. a microorganism) that causes disease or illness to its host. While microorganisms are found everywhere, most species are harmless to humans whereas some few species are pathogens.
TVC
Total Viable Count (TVC) is a quantitative measure of the presence of aerobic bacteria, which are viable under the chosen conditions (Conditions as temperature and substrate can vary). The count represents the number of colony forming units (cfu) per g (or ml) of the sample.
Zoonosis
A zoonosis is any infectious disease that is able to be transmitted from animals, both wild and domestic, to humans. Many serious diseases fall under this category. In many parts of the world the zoonoses occurring most frequently originate from infections of Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia, Listeria, and Eschericia coli.
