The use of microbiological analysis of food-stuff in a safety-assurance system.

Recent changes in food hygiene regulations promoted the development in food industry of safety-assurance systems using the H.A.C.C.P. method. The forsake of the strategy based on systematic end-products analysis has l ed to interrogations about the utility of microbiological analysis. In spire of the rise of technics for quick diagnosis, microbiological analy sis cannot be used, most of the time, in order to monitor the production pr ocesses, because results are not obtained within the required time. Microbiology allows an objective evaluation of the efficiency of safety-ass urance systems and constitutes a tool for H.A.C.C.P. verification. For a good use of microbiology, consideration is required about the criteri ons to choose and it appears necessary to make an interpretation of each re sult in comparison with the production process and the specific characteris tics of the food-stuff.