| A | B |
|---|
| characteristics | what something is like, how you would describe something |
| harmful | can hurt or damage |
| appearance | what something looks like |
| microorganisms | small, living organisms that can only be seen with a microscope – includes bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi |
| pathogens | viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi that can cause illness |
| toxins | poisons produced by pathogens, plants or animals |
| FAT TOM | food, acidity, temperature, time, oxygen, moisture – conditions needed by foodborne microorganisms to grow |
| temperature danger zone | temperatures between 41°F and 135°F, that allow most foodborne microorganisms to grow fast |
| virus | smallest microbial food contaminants that rely on a living host to reproduce |
| bacteria | single-celled, living microorganisms that can spoil food and cause foodborne illness |
| spore | some bacteria change to spores, found in soil, which can resist heat and can change back to bacteria and grow |
| parasite | organism that needs to live in another organism; found in water and inside animals |
| fungi | organisms that can be small or large, causing food to spoil – includes molds, yeasts and mushrooms |
| mold | fungus that causes food to spoil or produces toxins |
| yeast | type of fungus that causes food to spoil |
