What do bacteria need to grow?
In order to grow, bacteria need the following: Nutrients Warmth Moisture Atmosphere Time Nutrients • Bacteria like food sources that unfortunately are also consumed by humans. They like foods that are rich in proteins and carbohydrates, from which they obtain their essential nutrients. • ‘High risk’ foods are those that offer a particularly attractive environment to bacteria that can then, given favourable conditions, multiply rapidly e.g. meat and poultry (and meat and poultry products), eggs, milk and dairy products, seafood. • Growth of bacteria in certain foods can be repressed by the presence of high concentrations of salt or sugar, which serve to bind to and reduce the amount of water available to the bacteria for growth. • A bacterium’s ability to survive and/or thrive in acidic environments varies between species and is also dependent on other environmental conditions, e.g. temperature. Although bacteria generally prefer neutral pH (7) most can be found in the range 4.5 – 9 (sl
