Food Microbiology for Safe and Sustainable Food Systems

By Prof. Prem Prakash Srivastav | IIT Kharagpur

Learners enrolled: 7002 | Exam registration: 1562

ABOUT THE COURSE:

The study of microbes that can grow, proliferate, or contaminate food is known as food microbiology. There is a spectrum of microbes that can be helpful or detrimental. They find widespread application in preparing and storing many different foods and drinks. Even so, microbes can cause food poisoning and spoilage, resulting in wasted food and putting people and animals in danger. The prevention of foodborne illness by means of identifying and eliminating pathogenic microorganisms and the poisons they produce is one of the main goals of food microbiology. In order to guarantee the safety of the public, it is critical to acknowledge the possible function of these microbes.

Therefore, this course has been designed with the aim of following objectives.

To develop a comprehensive understanding of food microbiology
To explore the role of beneficial microorganisms
To identify and analyze food contaminants
To investigate microbial food spoilage and foodborne diseases
To learn methods for controlling microorganisms and ensuring food safety

INTENDED AUDIENCE: B.Sc.,M.Sc,B.Tech,M.Tech,PhD students and Industrial persons

PREREQUISITES: Diploma or degree in basic science/ food science/ food technology/ biotechnology/ agricultural engineering.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: Food Industries

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	8 weeks
Category :	Agricultural and Food Engineering Energy, Climate and Sustainability Food Process Engineering
Credit Points :	2
Level :	Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date :	16 Feb 2026
End Date :	10 Apr 2026
Enrollment Ends :	16 Feb 2026
Exam Registration Ends :	27 Feb 2026
Exam Date :	26 Apr 2026 IST
NCrF Level	4.5 — 8.0

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: Introduction to Food Microbiology

Week 2: Beneficial Microorganism in Food

Week 3: Contaminates of Food

Week 4: Microbial Growth

Week 5: Microbial Food Spoilage

Week 6: Diseases by Foodborne microbes

Week 7: Mechanism of Microorganism Control in Food

Week 8: Food Safety,Packing and Food Standard

Books and references

1.Matthews K.R., Kniel K.E., and Montville T.J.(2017).Food Microbiology: An introduction.4th edition,ASM Press.
2. Doyle, M.P and Beuchat, L.R.(2007). Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers, Third Edition, ASM Press

Instructor bio

Prof. Prem Prakash Srivastav

IIT Kharagpur

Prof. Prem Prakash Srivastav is a Food Science and Technology Professor in the Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (WB), India. He graduated from Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur and received an M.Sc. degree with a major in Food Technology and a minor in Process Engineering from GBPUA&T, Pantnagar. He was awarded Ph. D from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He teaches various UG, PG and PhD level courses and guided many research projects at PhD (12), Master (61) and Undergraduate levels. His research interest includes the development of specially designed convenience, functional and therapeutic foods, extraction of neutraceuticals, and development of various low-cost food processing machinery. He has organised 04 sponsored short-term courses and completed sponsored research projects, 05 as PI worth Rs. 435.719 lakhs and 07 as Co-PI worth Rs. 59.4 lakhs and consultancies. He has published more than123 research papers in peer-reviewed international and national journals, conference proceedings, and many technical bulletins and monographs. He has chaired and presented various papers at international and national conferences and delivered many invited lectures in different summer/winter schools. He has one authored book and seven edited books, fifty eight book chapters and four patents (2-granted and 2-filed) in his credit. He was a Member of the Board of Studies of different universities and a selection committee member of NIFTEM, Kundali, Haryana and Adis Ababa Institute of Technology, Adis Ababa, Ethiopia. Also, he served as a paper setter for B. Tech / M. Tech courses and evaluated research dissertations of M. Tech and Ph. D levels. His students received best poster paper awards in ISAE – 2009, ICTF – 2010, FOQSAT – 2011, IFT (USA) – 2014, IUFoST – 2018 and TIIFH - 2019. He is a life member of various professional bodies viz., ISTE, AFST(I), IDA, AMI, ISAE and member of the US-based American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams: : April 26, 2026 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 6 assignments out of the total 8 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Kharagpur .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team