The prevalence and control of spoilage yeasts in foods and beverages

Consumers in developed countries have a more critical attitude about what t hey eat and drink as a consequence of modern life. Food microbiologists are facing a huge challenge regarding food 'freshness' implicit in the consume r's demand for more natural products. Food with less severe processing, tha t is additive-free, safer, with satisfactory shelf life and easy to prepare is sought because of higher consciousness about nutrition and health. Besi des the development of new methods and preservation concepts, great advance s in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, hygiene and food safety have occurred in recent decades. But are such developments properly used to respond to the challenge to food mycology? We will summarize the ef fects on food of yeast spoilage activity and we will reflect on how this ac tivity can be monitored by food microbiologists. (C) 2000 Published by Else vier Science Ltd.