Food Microbiology: Principles and Applications provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles of food microbiology and their practical applications in food safety, preservation, quality management, and foodborne disease prevention. The book covers the importance of microorganisms in food science, sources of microbial contamination, microbial growth and the factors influencing it, and the normal microflora associated with various food commodities, including milk and dairy products, fruits and vegetables, cereals, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, spices, and canned foods.

The book also examines chemical changes in foods caused by microorganisms, food shelf-life assessment, deteriorative reactions, and shelf-life simulation under different packaging and storage conditions. Dedicated chapters discuss microbial toxins, foodborne viruses, bacterial pathogens, foodborne infections and intoxications, antimicrobial resistance, and the One Health approach. In addition, it explores food preservation technologies such as heat processing, irradiation, high-pressure processing, chilling, freezing, drying, and chemical preservation. The final chapter addresses food safety principles, food quality, food safety management systems, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), regulatory frameworks, and emerging challenges in food safety management. This book is a valuable resource for students, researchers, teachers, and professionals in food science, food technology, microbiology, and allied disciplines.

Prof. Rameshwar Singh is an eminent scientist and academic leader widely recognized for his pioneering contributions to microbial culture collections, fermented milks and probiotics, dairy starter cultures, rumen fermentation, animal nutrition, science communication, knowledge management, and institution building.He currently serves as the Former Vice-Chancellor of Guru Kashi University, Bathinda. Earlier, he was the Founding Vice-Chancellor of Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna (2017–2024).

Dr. Singh has held several national leadership positions, including President (2022–2024), Vice-President, and Treasurer of the Indian Agricultural Universities Association (IAUA).He is a Founder Fellow of the National Academy of Dairy Sciences and a Founder Fellow of the Animal Nutrition Association of India.

He is also the Founder Patron of the Society for the Promotion of Companion and Farm Animals and a Life Member of multiple scientific bodies such as the Indian Dairy Association and the Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI), which conferred upon him the AMI Lifetime Achievement Award (2025).

Earlier in his career, Prof. Singh led the Dairy Microbiology Division at ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, and curated India’s only dairy starter culture repository, the National Collection of Dairy Cultures (NCDC).Over his distinguished 47-year career, he has published more than 150 research papers and has mentored a large number of Master’s and Ph.D. scholars who now serve in leading academic and research institutions.

Chapter 1. Food Microbiology

Chapter 2. Microbial Growth in Foods

Chapter 3. Normal Microflora of Foods

Chapter 4. Chemical Changes in Foods Caused by Microorganisms

Chapter 5. Shelf Life of Foods

Chapter 6. Microbial Toxins and Foodborne Viruses

Chapter 7. Foodborne Infections and Foodborne Intoxications

Chapter 8. Microbiology of Food Preservation

Chapter 9. Food Safety Principles and Management