Putrefactive bacteria information retrieval method, system and data structure, and food safety / hygiene management system and method using the data structure

Abstract

The verification of putrefaction-causing bacteria which is a microbial cause has not been carried out, resulting in expiration date setting based on hindsight. The objective of the present invention is to provide a method for discriminating putrefaction-related bacteria, the method comprising a discriminating step for comparing a biological feature group including biological features relating to the putrefaction-related bacteria with a biological feature acquired from target bacteria, to distinguish the putrefaction-related bacteria from the target bacteria.

Description

Spoilage bacteria information search method, system and data structure, and food safety and hygiene management system and method using said data structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, system and data structure for searching spoilage bacteria information, and a food safety and hygiene management system and method using the data structure.

[0002] The cleanliness level of packaging processes in the food industry is around Class 4 to 5, except for homogeneous systems such as beverages and viscous foods, where sanitary lines are installed and CIP cleaning is performed, and food is always at risk of secondary contamination.

[0003] In particular, in meat and seafood processing, where a variety of products are produced using raw materials with different levels of contamination, a large amount of microbial contamination occurs, and for this reason, expiration dates and best-before dates are set for each product.

[0004] The expiration date and best-before date are set by the manufacturer who produced or processed the food in question based on storage tests of the actual product, and are managed under the producer's responsibility. Furthermore, if the basis for setting the expiration date is made clear, similar products are currently given the same expiration date or best-before date.

[0005] As mentioned above, because expiration dates and best-before dates are set based on the principle of actual products, verification of microbial causes of spoilage is not carried out, and the deadlines are set after the fact.

[0006] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for distinguishing one species selected from the species Bacillus cereus, which is a type of pathogenic microorganism, and its closely related species from one or more other species.

[0007] Patent Publication No. 2019-071871

[0008] Patent Document 1 describes a method for identifying whether or not a target bacterium is a Bacillus cereus species or a closely related species. However, various bacteria are involved in food spoilage, and there is a problem in that even if it is determined that the target bacterium is neither a Bacillus cereus species nor a closely related species thereof, there is still a risk of food spoilage.

[0009] The present inventors isolated spoilage bacteria from a variety of food types, food storage conditions, and food processing conditions, and created a database of the isolated spoilage bacteria, thereby developing a method for rapidly identifying target spoilage bacteria, and thus the present invention was completed.

[0010] The object of the present invention is to provide: [1] a method for identifying spoilage-related bacteria, comprising an identification step of comparing a group of biological characteristics including biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria with biological characteristics obtained from target bacteria to identify the spoilage-related bacteria from the target bacteria.

[0011] By carrying out the method of the present invention, it becomes possible to quickly identify whether or not the target bacteria is a spoilage-related bacteria.

[0012] [2] The method according to [1] may be such that the spoilage-related bacteria include spoilage bacteria and spoilage-associated bacteria.

[0013] [3] The method according to [2] may be such that the spoilage-related bacteria include the bacteria shown in Table 1 below.

[0014] [4] The method according to [3] may be such that the biological characteristic is at least one selected from the group consisting of: a bacterial species name; an ID corresponding to the bacterial species name; an analytical value of a ribosomal protein corresponding to the bacterial species name; and a ribosomal base sequence corresponding to the bacterial species name.

[0015] [5] The method according to [1], wherein the target bacteria are bacteria obtained from food, bacteria obtained from food ingredients, additives, or machinery and equipment used in the food processing process, or bacteria obtained from the air collected during the food processing process.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to provide [6] a system for identifying spoilage-related bacteria that transmits and receives data to and from a user-side client terminal connected via a network, the system comprising: a storage means for storing a group of biological features including biological features related to spoilage-related bacteria; a receiving means for receiving biological features acquired from a target bacterium from the client terminal; and an identification means for comparing the group of biological features including the biological features related to the spoilage-related bacteria with the biological features acquired from the target bacterium to identify the spoilage-related bacteria from the target bacterium.

[0017] By using the system according to the present invention, it becomes possible to quickly identify whether or not the target bacteria is a spoilage-related bacteria.

[0018] [7] The system may be as described in [6], further comprising a transmitting means for transmitting the identification result to the client terminal.

[0019] Another object of the present invention is to provide: [8] a data structure used by a system for searching for food characteristics or biological characteristics related to spoilage-associated bacteria when searching for the characteristics, the system comprising: analysis means; storage means for storing the data structure; receiving means for receiving feature information related to the food characteristics or the biological characteristics related to the spoilage-associated bacteria from a client terminal; and transmission means for transmitting transmission information from the client terminal, wherein the data structure includes at least main information correlating the food characteristics with the biological characteristics related to the spoilage-associated bacteria, the analysis means analyzes the feature information received from the client terminal using the data structure stored in the storage means to obtain transmission information including analysis information, and the analysis information includes analysis information related to the biological characteristics related to spoilage-associated bacteria corresponding to the received feature information related to the food characteristics, or analysis information related to food characteristics corresponding to the received feature information related to the biological characteristics related to the spoilage-associated bacteria.

[0020] By using the data structure of the present invention in a system such as a computer, it becomes possible to quickly analyze the spoilage-related bacteria corresponding to the characteristics of a food, or the characteristics of a food corresponding to the spoilage-related bacteria.

[0021] [9] The data structure may be as described in [8], in which the characteristics of the food include classification information consisting of food type, food storage state, and food processing state, and the main information further includes information correlating the food type with the food storage state, information correlating the food storage state with the food processing state, and information correlating the food processing state with biological characteristics related to the spoilage-related bacteria.

[0022] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide

[10] a data structure for spoilage-related bacteria data used in a food safety and hygiene management system equipped with storage means, analysis means, and display means, the data structure being stored in the storage means, the data including: classification information for identifying spoilage-related bacteria; species data of the spoilage-related bacteria shown in Table 2; and message data to be displayed on the display means based on a result of the analysis means comparing the species of the target bacteria identified in the classification information acquired by the food safety and hygiene management system with the species of the spoilage-related bacteria.

[0023] By using the data structure of spoilage-related bacteria data of the present invention in a food safety and hygiene management system, it becomes possible to obtain message data based on the results of comparing the species of target bacteria identified by classification information with the species of spoilage-related bacteria, thereby enabling reliable and prompt management of food safety and hygiene.

[0024]

[11] The classification information may be a data structure of spoilage-related bacteria data described in

[10] , including food type, food storage state, and food processing state.

[0025]

[12] The message data may be of the data structure of spoilage-related bacteria data described in

[11] , which includes alarm data that is provided when there is no difference between the species of the target bacteria and the species of the spoilage-related bacteria, or when there is a difference between the data regarding the operating status and the data indicating normal operation, and that includes the name of the species of the spoilage-related bacteria that has been mixed in, the process in which the mixing occurred, the cause of the mixing, and a countermeasure.

[0026] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a food safety and hygiene management system having the data structure of spoilage-related bacteria data described in

[13] and

[12] .

[0027] By using the food safety and hygiene control system of the present invention, it becomes possible to reliably and quickly control food safety and hygiene.

[0028] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization method for use in the food safety and hygiene control system described in

[14] and

[13] .

[0029] By using the sterilization method according to the present invention, it becomes possible to sterilize food reliably and easily.

[0030] FIG. 1 schematically shows a data table in which food characteristics and spoilage-related bacteria are associated. FIG. 2 schematically shows a system for identifying spoilage-related bacteria. FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of the system for identifying spoilage-related bacteria. FIG. 4 schematically shows a system for searching for biological characteristics related to food characteristics or spoilage-related bacteria. FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of the system for searching for biological characteristics related to food characteristics or spoilage-related bacteria. FIG. 6 schematically shows a food processing system having a data structure for spoilage-related bacteria data. FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of a food processing system having a data structure for spoilage-related bacteria data.

[0031] DEFINITIONS For convenience, certain terms used in this application are collected here. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0032] Although the numerical ranges and parameters set forth in the present invention are approximate, the numerical values ​​set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. However, any numerical value inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in each test measurement. Also, as used herein, the term "about" generally means within 10%, 5%, 1%, or 0.5% of a given value or range. Alternatively, the term "about" means within an acceptable standard error as considered by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The following embodiments are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Note that similar content will not be described again to avoid repetition.

[0034] Method for identifying spoilage-related bacteria The method for identifying spoilage-related bacteria in this embodiment includes an identification step of comparing a group of biological characteristics including biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria with biological characteristics obtained from target bacteria to identify the spoilage-related bacteria from the target bacteria.

[0035] Identification Step In the identification step, the biological features included in the biological feature group are compared with the biological features obtained from the target bacterium for the same biological features. Here, the biological feature group is a group including one or more biological features related to individual spoilage-related bacteria. As a result of the comparison, it is possible to identify whether the target bacterium is a spoilage-related bacterium, and if the biological feature obtained from the target bacterium is present in the biological feature group including biological features related to spoilage-related bacteria, the target bacterium is identified as a spoilage-related bacterium.

[0036] If the target bacteria are identified as spoilage-related bacteria, it is identified or suggested that the objects from which the target bacteria were obtained (e.g., food, food ingredients, additives, machinery and utensils, and air) are contaminated with spoilage-related bacteria. For example, if the target bacteria isolated from a food are identified as spoilage-related bacteria, it is identified or suggested that the food is contaminated with spoilage-related bacteria.

[0037] Spoilage-associated bacteria include spoilage bacteria and spoilage-associated bacteria. Spoilage bacteria refer to microorganisms that cause food to spoil, while spoilage-associated bacteria refer to microorganisms that are not directly involved in food spoilage or whose direct involvement is unknown, but that increase in response to spoilage. In one embodiment, spoilage-associated bacteria include the bacteria shown in Table 1 below.

[0038]

[0039] Biological Characteristics of Spoilage-Related Bacteria Biological characteristics of spoilage-related bacteria may be any characteristics that can identify individual spoilage-related bacteria, and examples thereof include bacterial species names (e.g., bacteria listed in Table 1), biochemical characteristics (e.g., ribosomal protein base sequences, amino acid sequences, and m / z values), and artificially determined characteristics (e.g., IDs in a database). In one embodiment, the biological characteristics of spoilage-related bacteria are at least one selected from the group consisting of bacterial species names, IDs corresponding to the bacterial species names, ribosomal protein analysis values ​​corresponding to the bacterial species names, and ribosomal base sequences corresponding to the bacterial species names. In one embodiment, the group of biological characteristics including biological characteristics of spoilage-related bacteria includes or consists of the bacterial species names listed in Table 1.

[0040] The target bacteria are bacteria obtained from an object (e.g., food, food ingredients, additives, machinery and equipment, and air), and may be (1) bacteria obtained from food, (2) bacteria obtained from food ingredients, additives, or machinery and equipment used in food processing, or (3) bacteria obtained from air collected during food processing. The target bacteria are preferably isolated from the object from which they were obtained.

[0041] The biological characteristics of the target bacteria can be obtained by methods routinely used by those skilled in the art, and the species name of the target bacteria can be obtained from an online database (such as Blast) based on biochemical characteristics such as the base sequence, amino acid sequence, and m / z value of the ribosomal protein.

[0042] The food may include meat and seafood. Meat may be meat from livestock animals (e.g., cattle, pigs, poultry, sheep, goats). Seafood includes fish, shellfish, crustaceans, algae, and marine mammals. The food may be processed food.

[0043] Identification Step The method may further include an identification step. In the identification step, food characteristics corresponding to the identified spoilage-related bacteria are identified. By identifying the food characteristics, the food from which the target bacteria originates can be identified. The food characteristics can be identified from a group of food characteristics in which the food characteristics and the spoilage-related bacteria are associated. The food characteristics can also be identified using the system described below and a system using the data structure described below. In one embodiment, the food characteristics include classification information consisting of food type, food preservation state, and food processing state. The food type includes meat and seafood. The food preservation state includes a state in which the food is packaged under vacuum and a state in which the food is packaged in the presence of air. The food processing state includes meat chunks, small meat chunks (e.g., minced meat), and sliced ​​meat chunks.

[0044] Additionally, by identifying taxonomic information, it is possible to investigate whether the target bacteria originated from sources other than the food from which the target bacteria was acquired, including, but not limited to, foods other than the food from which the target bacteria was isolated, food additives, food processing machinery and equipment, air, and food handlers.

[0045] Figure 1 shows a data table in which all spoilage-related bacteria listed in Table 2 are associated with classification information. For example, if target bacteria isolated from sliced ​​meat packaged under vacuum conditions (classification information: food type: meat, food preservation state: vacuum, food processing state: sliced) contain spoilage-related bacteria with species E, the spoilage-related bacteria with species E are not isolated from the sliced ​​meat, as shown in Figure 1 , making it clear that the spoilage-related bacteria originate from a source other than the sliced ​​meat. Since the sliced ​​meat with the closest classification information (food type: meat, food preservation state: aerated, food processing state: sliced) contains the spoilage-related bacteria with species E, the source is likely to be aerated packaging. For example, this could be due to a vacuum leak or a longer than specified time until vacuum sealing. As another example, if a block of vacuum-packed meat contains spoilage-related bacteria with species C, the spoilage-related bacteria are likely to have originated from the incorrect use of seafood processing equipment. The putrefactive bacteria designated as species E is, for example, Levilactobacillus brevis, and species C, Q, V, and Y are Staphylococcus warneri, Lactobacillus sakei, Priestia flexa, and Aerococcus viridans, respectively.

[0046] In one embodiment, the group of food characteristics associated with spoilage-related bacteria includes or consists of the group of characteristics shown in Table 2. Foods in the "vacuum" category refer to foods that are vacuum-packed, foods in the "air-containing" category refer to foods that are packaged as is or after gas replacement using nitrogen or the like by heat sealing, bundling, or the like, and are insulated from the outside, and foods in the "simple" category refer to foods that are simply packaged in a wrapping film or the like to insulate the product from contact with the outside.

[0047]

[0048] System A system 1 according to this embodiment identifies spoilage-related bacteria. The system 1 is capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from user client terminals 3a and 3b connected via a network 2. The system 1 comprises a storage means 10, a receiving means 20, and an identification means 30. The storage means 10 stores a group of biological features including biological features related to spoilage-related bacteria. The receiving means 20 receives biological features acquired from target bacteria from the client terminal. The identification means 30 compares the group of biological features including biological features related to the spoilage-related bacteria with the biological features acquired from the target bacteria to identify the spoilage-related bacteria from the target bacteria. The system 1 may further comprise a transmission means 40 for transmitting the identification results to the client terminal.

[0049] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a system 1 for identifying spoilage-related bacteria. This system 1 will be described with reference to Figure 2. In this system 1, client terminals 3a and 3b are connected to a server 4 via a network 2 (e.g., the Internet). The client terminals 3a and 3b are not limited to specific devices as long as they are terminals (such as PCs or smartphones) that can connect to the Internet 2.

[0050] The server 4 includes a storage means 10, a receiving means 20, an identification means 30, and a transmitting means 40. The storage means 10 stores a database of biological characteristics (e.g., Table 1) including biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria. In one embodiment, the storage means 10 stores a database of food characteristics (e.g., Table 2) in which food characteristics are associated with spoilage-related bacteria.

[0051] The server 4 is a known computer device that includes an arithmetic unit, a main memory device, an auxiliary memory device, and a communication device, and may also include an input device and an output device as necessary. The arithmetic unit, the main memory device, the auxiliary memory device, the input device, the output device, and the communication device are connected to each other via a bus interface.

[0052] The arithmetic unit includes a known processor capable of executing an instruction set. The main storage unit includes a volatile memory such as a RAM capable of temporarily storing the instruction set. The auxiliary storage unit includes a non-volatile data storage unit capable of recording an OS and programs. The data storage unit may be, for example, a HDD or an SSD. The communication unit includes a network interface connectable to a network.

[0053] An example of the input device is a keyboard. An example of the output device is a display such as an LCD.

[0054] 3 shows a flow diagram of the system 1 for identifying spoilage-related bacteria. A user operates the client terminal 3a, 3b to input data on biological characteristics obtained from the target bacteria (S101), and transmits the data to the server 4 (S102). The system 1 may request user information such as an email address, user ID, and password from the user in addition to the biological characteristics. When the system requests user information from the user, the user transmits data on the biological characteristics and the user information from the client terminal 3a, 3b to the server 4.

[0055] The transmitted data on the biological features is received by the receiving means 20 via the network 2 (S103). The identifying means 30 acquires the received data on the biological features and compares the received biological features with the group of biological features stored in the storage means 10 (S104).

[0056] As a result of the comparison, the identification means 30 identifies whether the target bacterium is a spoilage-related bacterium (S105). If the identification means 30 can find a biological feature in the biological feature group that corresponds to the received biological feature, the identification means 30 identifies the target bacterium as a spoilage-related bacterium; otherwise, the identification means 30 identifies the target bacterium as not a spoilage-related bacterium.

[0057] The identification means 30 sends the identification result to the transmission means 40, and the transmission means 40 transmits the identification result to the client terminals 3a and 3b (S106). The user receives the identification result via the client terminals 3a and 3b (S107) and can check the received identification result.

[0058] The system 1 according to this embodiment may further include an analysis means 130, which will be described later. When the system 1 according to this embodiment further includes the analysis means 130, the storage means 10 further stores a data structure, which will be described later. Furthermore, the system 1 according to this embodiment may include the analysis means 130 instead of the identification means 30. When the system 1 according to this embodiment includes the analysis means 130 instead of the identification means 30, the storage means 10 further stores a data structure or stores a data structure instead of a biological feature group including biological features related to spoilage-related bacteria.

[0059] Data Structure First Embodiment The data structure according to this embodiment is used by the system 101 for searching for food characteristics or biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria when searching for the characteristics. This data structure includes at least main information that associates the food characteristics with the biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria.

[0060] The food characteristics according to this embodiment may include food type, food storage state, and food processing state. The main information may further include information associating the food type with the food storage state, information associating the food storage state with the food processing state, and information associating the food processing state with the biological characteristics related to the spoilage-related bacteria. In one embodiment, the main information may include a group of food characteristics based on Table 2, in which the food characteristics and spoilage-related bacteria are associated.

[0061] The system 101 includes an analysis means 130, a storage means 110 for storing the data structure, a receiving means 120 for receiving characteristic information relating to the characteristics of the food or the biological characteristics of the spoilage-related bacteria from a client terminal, and a transmitting means 140 for transmitting transmission information from the client terminal.

[0062] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a system 101 for searching for biological characteristics of food or spoilage-related bacteria. This system 101 will be described with reference to Figure 4. Explanations common to Figure 2 will be omitted as appropriate. This system 101 has client terminals 103a and 103b and a server 104 connected via a network 102 (e.g., the Internet). The client terminals 103a and 103b are not limited to specific devices as long as they are terminals that can connect to the Internet 102.

[0063] The server 104 includes a storage means 110, a receiving means 120, an analyzing means 130, and a transmitting means 140. The storage means 110 stores the above data structure.

[0064] Figure 5 shows a flow diagram of the system 101 for searching for food characteristics or biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria. Explanations common to Figure 3 are omitted where appropriate. A user operates the client terminals 103a and 103b to input data related to the characteristics of food or biological characteristics related to the spoilage-related bacteria (S201), and transmits the data to the server 104 (S202).

[0065] The transmitted data relating to the characteristic information is received by the receiving means via the network 102 (S203). The analyzing means 130 analyzes the characteristic information using the data structure (S204). As a result of the analysis, transmitted information including the analyzed information is obtained (S205).

[0066] When the characteristic information relates to the characteristics of the food, the analysis information includes analysis information on biological characteristics of spoilage-related bacteria corresponding to the received characteristic information on the characteristics of the food.When the characteristic information relates to biological characteristics of the spoilage-related bacteria, the analysis information includes analysis information on food characteristics corresponding to the received characteristic information on biological characteristics of the spoilage-related bacteria.

[0067] The analysis means 130 sends the transmission information including the analysis information to the transmission means 140, and the transmission means 140 transmits the transmission information including the analysis information to the client terminals 103a and 103b (S206). The user receives the transmission information including the analysis information via the client terminals 103a and 103b (S207) and can check the received analysis results.

[0068] Second Embodiment A data structure according to another embodiment is used in a food processing system including a storage means, an analysis means, and a display means, and is a data structure for spoilage-related bacteria data stored in the storage means.

[0069] This data structure includes classification information for identifying spoilage-related bacteria, species data of the spoilage-related bacteria shown in Table 1, and message data to be displayed on the display means based on the results of the analysis means comparing the species of the target bacteria identified in the classification information obtained by the food processing system with the species of the spoilage-related bacteria.

[0070] The classification information for identifying spoilage-related bacteria may include food type, food storage conditions, and food processing conditions.

[0071] The message data may be character data, audio data corresponding to the character data, image data, or a combination thereof.

[0072] In one embodiment, the data includes alarm data that is provided when there is no difference between the species of the target bacteria and the species of the spoilage-related bacteria, or when there is a difference between the data regarding the operating status and the data indicating normal operation, and that is composed of the name of the species of the spoilage-related bacteria that has been mixed in, the process in which the mixing occurred, the cause of the mixing, and countermeasures.

[0073] If only bacterial species with the correct classification information are detected, the display means will display that the food processing system is operating normally. If a bacterial species without the correct classification information is detected, the display means will display an alarm indicating contamination with the above bacterial species, and will notify the operator of the name of the spoilage-related bacterial species that has been mixed in, the process in which the contamination occurred, the cause of the contamination, and countermeasures. The display means may be a display or a display panel of a client terminal. Information regarding the source of contamination is not limited to one. If there are multiple sources of contamination, information about the multiple sources of contamination is displayed on the display means. If the cause of contamination cannot be identified, the display means may display the column corresponding to the cause of contamination as blank. This enables the operator to take prompt action based on the displayed information.

[0074] Figure 6 schematically shows a food processing system 1001 having a data structure of spoilage-related bacteria data. This food processing system 1001 will be described with reference to Figure 6. This food processing system 1001 includes a computer device 1004, display means 1005, and input means 1006. The computer device 1004 includes storage means 1100 and analysis means 1300. The storage means 1100 stores the data structure of the spoilage-related bacteria data.

[0075] 7 shows a flow diagram of the food processing system 1001. The user operates the input means 1006 to input data relating to classification information (S301), and transmits the data to the computer device 1004 (S302).

[0076] The transmitted data regarding the classification information is received by the computer device 1004 (S303). The analysis means 1300 compares the species of the target bacteria identified in the received classification information with the species of spoilage-related bacteria (S304). The analysis means 1300 transmits message data based on the comparison results to the display means 1005 (S305). The display means 1005 receives the message data (S306) and displays the received message data (S307).

[0077] 1. Items used: Swab test swab kit (BD, 251811), TSA medium (BD BBL 211043 500g), soybean casein digest agar medium "Daigo" for Japanese Pharmacopoeia testing, MRS medium (BD Difco, 288130, 500g), MRS agar medium (BD Difco, 288210, 500g), PDA medium (Nissui Pharmaceutical 05709 300g), LB medium (Kanto Chemical, 24308-08, 500g), pouch bags (for Anaeropack) (A-92, 30 sheets, for 10 sheets), Anaeropack Kenki (for pouch bags, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical A-13, 50 sheets), Anaeropack Kenki (for square jars, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical) A-03, 50 pieces) ・Conlarge stick (Nissui, 06580 5 pieces x 200 = 1,000 pieces) ・Disposable microloop 1uL (Atect, 3101017-03101) ・Sabouraud dextrose agar medium (wako, 551-37335, 500g)

[0078] Chemicals used in 2 Biotyper ethanol / formic acid extraction: Ethanol HPLC grade (Fujifilm, 056-03341, etc.), Formic acid LC-MS grade (Fujifilm, 067-04531, etc.), Acetonitrile LC-MS grade (Merck 1.00029.1000, Fujifilm, 016-19854, etc.).

[0079] 3. Isolation of target bacteria The foods shown in Table 3 below were stored at 37°C for 3 days. Foods in the "vacuum" category (M) refer to foods packaged under vacuum, foods in the "air-filled" category (M) refer to foods packaged as is or after gas replacement using nitrogen or other means to isolate the food from the outside, by heat sealing or bundling, and foods in the "simple" category (M) refer to foods packaged simply in packaging film or other packaging to isolate the product from contact with the outside. "Fish meat" refers to a mixture of fish meat derived from multiple fish of unknown species. Each food was prepared using a recipe commonly known to those skilled in the art.

[0080]

[0081] After three days, signs of spoilage such as swelling of the bag, cloudy seepage in the bag, and slime on the surface of the food were checked, and the smell at the time of opening the bag was also recorded. 2) Sample liquid was prepared using a swab test swab. 3) Preparation of sample liquid: A swab was applied to the surface of each food (approximately 10 cm 2 The area (equivalent to 100 μg of the original solution) was wiped with a swab and suspended in the liquid in the attached tube. 100 μL of the suspension (original solution) and a 100-fold dilution of sterile saline (0.85%) were each evenly applied to the following media using a conlarger. [TSA medium (x2), MRS agar medium (x2), and PDA medium (x1)] x (original solution and 100-fold dilution)

[0082] TSA medium was cultured at 37°C under aerobic / anaerobic conditions, and MRS agar and PDA medium were cultured at 30°C for two days. The number of bacteria grown on the plates coated with the original solution and a 100-fold dilution was counted, and the bacteria were isolated using a disposable loop. TSA medium was cultured at 37°C under aerobic / anaerobic conditions, and MRS agar and PDA medium were cultured at 30°C for one day.

[0083] 4. Preparation of glycerol stocks of isolated bacteria The isolated bacteria were inoculated into liquid medium using a sterilized toothpick and cultured. The culture conditions were as follows: - Bacteria derived from TSA medium were inoculated into LB liquid medium and cultured overnight at 37°C. - Bacteria derived from MRS agar medium were cultured overnight in MRS liquid medium at 30°C.

[0084] After cultivation, 500 μL of 50% glycerol was added to 500 μL of the bacterial solution and mixed with a vortex. Store three tubes at -20°C and -80°C.

[0085] Among the fungi derived from PDA medium, (a) yeasts and (b) filamentous fungi were cultured under the following conditions. (a) Yeasts were cultured on Sabouraud medium at 30°C for 2-3 days. 1: A pea-sized colony was scraped from the agar medium and suspended in 1 mL of 10% glycerol. 2: If the colony could not be written down with a loop, it was grown on an agar plate, and several disks were punched out and placed in a tube containing 10% glycerol. 3: After liquid culture, the bacteria were harvested by centrifugation, suspended in 10% glycerol, and transferred to a storage tube. 4: After steps 1 to 3, the storage tube was left at 4°C for approximately 30 minutes and then frozen for storage. (b) Filamentous fungi were cultured to spores without using a growth medium, and several disks were placed in a tube containing autoclaved protective medium (1 mL of 10% glycerol) and then frozen for storage.

[0086] 5. Biotyper (Ethanol-Formic Acid Extraction Method) 300 μL of water (deionized or distilled) was placed in a 1.5 mL tube. An appropriate amount of colony (approximately one heaping 1 μL loopful) was picked from the culture and thoroughly suspended in the water in the tube. 900 μL of ethanol was added to the tube and further mixed well. The tube was centrifuged at 13,000 rpm for 2 minutes, and the supernatant was removed. Depending on the amount of pellet, 20 μL of 70% formic acid was added to the tube. The tube was pipetted or vortexed to thoroughly mix the pellet. An equal volume of acetonitrile as the formic acid was added to the tube. The tube was centrifuged at 13,000 rpm for 2 minutes. 1 μL of the supernatant was placed on a steel target plate and allowed to dry. 1 μL of matrix solution was placed on the dried spot and further dried. The target plate was set in the MALDI Biotyper Sirius (Bruker), and measurements were performed using the measurement method of the attached software, MBT Compass.

[0087] 6. Sequence Analysis Sequence analysis was performed on colonies whose bacterial species could not be identified using the Biotyper. Fresh colonies were suspended in 300 μL of test bacterial treatment solution (1 vol% TritonX-100 / TE) contained in the tube. The tube was heat-treated at 100°C for 10 minutes. The tube was centrifuged at 13,000 rpm, and PCR was performed using the supernatant. PCR was performed using a KOD One (TOYOBO) kit with 10F / 800R primers (Table 4) according to the protocol.

[0088]

[0089] After PCR was completed, amplification was confirmed by electrophoresis, and the PCR product was purified using a Gel / PCR Extraction Kit (Nihon Genetics). Sequence analysis was then outsourced to Azenta. The sequence data was analyzed by Blast analysis to identify the bacterial species. The results are shown in Table 5.

[0090]

[0091] The bacteria shown in Table 5 are spoilage-related bacteria that grow along with spoilage. When these bacteria are detected in food, it is a sign of food spoilage, making it possible to detect spoilage early. Furthermore, as shown in Table 5, spoilage-related bacteria grow only in specific food characteristics. For this reason, when the growth of spoilage-related bacteria that would not normally be detected is discovered, it becomes clear that the food has been contaminated from another source, and it is also possible to identify or presume the food that caused the contamination.

[0092] 1, 101: System, 2, 102: Network, 3a, 3b, 103a, 103b: Client terminal, 4, 104: Server, 10, 110, 1100: Storage means, 20, 120: Receiving means, 30: Identification means, 130, 1300: Analysis means, 40, 140: Transmission means, 1001: Food processing system, 1004: Computer device, 1005: Display means, 1006: Input means

Claims

1. A method for identifying spoilage-related bacteria, comprising an identification step of comparing a group of biological characteristics including biological characteristics relating to spoilage-related bacteria with biological characteristics obtained from a target bacterium to identify the spoilage-related bacteria from the target bacterium.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the spoilage-related bacteria include spoilage bacteria and spoilage-associated bacteria.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the spoilage-related bacteria include the bacteria shown in Table 1 below.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the biological characteristic is at least one selected from the group consisting of a bacterial species name, an ID corresponding to the bacterial species name, an analytical value of a ribosomal protein corresponding to the bacterial species name, and a base sequence related to a ribosome corresponding to the bacterial species name.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the target bacteria are bacteria obtained from food, bacteria obtained from food ingredients, additives or machinery and equipment used in the food processing process, or bacteria obtained from the air collected during the food processing process.

6. A system for identifying spoilage-related bacteria which transmits and receives data to and from a user's client terminal connected via a network, the system comprising: a storage means for storing a group of biological characteristics including biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria; a receiving means for receiving biological characteristics acquired from a target bacterium from the client terminal; and an identification means for comparing the group of biological characteristics including the biological characteristics related to the spoilage-related bacteria with the biological characteristics acquired from the target bacterium to identify the spoilage-related bacteria from the target bacterium.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising a transmitting means for transmitting an identification result to said client terminal.

8. A data structure used by a system for searching for food characteristics or biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria when searching for the characteristics, the system comprising: an analysis means; a storage means for storing the data structure; a receiving means for receiving characteristic information related to the food characteristics or the biological characteristics related to the spoilage-related bacteria from a client terminal; and a transmitting means for transmitting transmission information from the client terminal, wherein the data structure includes at least main information that associates the food characteristics with the biological characteristics related to the spoilage-related bacteria, the analysis means analyzes the characteristic information received from the client terminal using the data structure stored in the storage means to obtain transmission information including analysis information, and the analysis information includes analysis information related to the biological characteristics related to spoilage-related bacteria corresponding to the received characteristic information related to the food characteristics, or analysis information related to food characteristics corresponding to the received characteristic information related to the biological characteristics related to the spoilage-related bacteria.

9. The data structure described in claim 8, wherein the food characteristics include classification information consisting of food type, food preservation state, and food processing state, and the main information further includes information correlating the food type with the food preservation state, information correlating the food preservation state with the food processing state, and information correlating the food processing state with biological characteristics related to the spoilage-related bacteria.

10. A data structure of spoilage-related bacteria data used in a food safety and hygiene management system equipped with a storage means, an analysis means and a display means, the data structure including: classification information for identifying spoilage-related bacteria; species data of the spoilage-related bacteria shown in Table 2 below; and message data to be displayed on the display means based on a result of the analysis means comparing the species of the target bacteria identified in the classification information acquired by the food safety and hygiene management system with the species of the spoilage-related bacteria.

11. The data structure of spoilage-related bacteria data according to claim 10, wherein the classification information includes food type, food storage state, and food processing state.

12. The data structure of spoilage-related bacteria data described in claim 11, wherein the message data includes alarm data comprising the name of the species of the spoilage-related bacteria that has been mixed in, the process at which the mixing occurred, the cause of the mixing, and a countermeasure, which is provided when no difference occurs between the species of the target bacteria and the species of the spoilage-related bacteria, or when a difference occurs between data regarding the operating status and data indicating normal operation.

13. A food safety and hygiene management system having the data structure for spoilage-related bacteria data according to claim 12.

14. A sterilization method for use in the food safety and hygiene control system described in claim 13.

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