A wide variety of microorganisms are present in foods. Some are essential for producing fermented foods such as bread and cheese, some cause food spoilage, and some are harmful to our health as a cause of food poisoning. When food is improperly handled, microorganisms can multiply within the food, causing spoilage as well as food poisoning.

To prevent food poisoning and food spoilage caused by microorganisms that contaminate food, our laboratory studies the growth dynamics and cellular characteristics of food poisoning bacteria (Listeria, histamine-producing bacteria, Salmonella, etc.) and spoilage bacteria (spore-forming bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, etc.)to establish effective control methods.