1.  Can you recommend other information resources to learn more about Predictive Microbiology?

Click on the Reference tab on the File menu in the PMP program and select the article "Model Development". This article provides an abbreviated overview about model development. Also, in the same Reference tab, you can select "Publications List" and look for other publications that we offer in PDF format or as a citation. Another source, although more technical in nature, is a book titled Predictive Microbiology: theory and application by McMeekin et al. (1993). A good book on general Food Microbiology is Modern Food Microbiology by James Jay (2000).

2.  Can I get predictions for my food when there are no models for it in the PMP?

The published literature is a good source of information about bacterial behavior in food. However, the behavior of bacteria has not been described for the majority of formulated foods. Another source for data is a free on-line database called ComBase, located at www.wyndmoor.arserrc.gov/combase/. This database contains thousands of records for various pathogenic and spoilage bacteria in many different environmental conditions.