FSHN 421: Food Microbiology Laboratory

3 Credit Hours
Food Science and Human Nutrition
Iowa State University
Spring 2017

Class Sessions:
Tuesday (T) and Thursday (R): 9:30 am – 11: 30 am
Friday (F): 2:00 – 4:00 PM
2379 Food Science Building

Instructors:
Shannon M. Coleman, Ph.D.
Office address: 2545 Food Science Building
Email: scoleman@iastate.edu
Phone: 515-204-9011
Office Hours by Appointment
Jennie Savits, M.S.
Office address: 1331 Food Science Building
Email: jsavits@iastate.edu
Phone: 515-294-4612
Office Hours by Appointment

Graduate Teaching Assistants:

Fei Wang Will Rock
Office address: 3383 Food Science Building Office address: 3383 Food Science Building
Email: feiwang@iastate.edu Email: wrock@iastate.edu
Office Hours: Friday, 4:00 pm -5:00 pm Office Hours: Thursday, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant:

Meghan Klatt
Email: maklatt@iastate.edu

Course Description This course is an in depth study of standard techniques used for the
microbiological examination of foods. Independent and group projects
on student-generated questions in food microbiology are required with
emphasis on oral and written communication and group interaction.
Prerequisites MICRO 201 or MICRO 302; MICRO 201L or MICRO 302L,
FSHN/MICRO 420

Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the student will:
1. Correctly use appropriate lab techniques and analyze results for routine microbiological
analyses of foods.
2. Apply analyses used commonly in the food industry.
3. Correctly predict the types and levels of organisms commonly occurring in different
foods.
4. Clearly communicate in different oral and written formats, to different audiences, the
results of laboratory analyses in food microbiology.

This syllabus is a working document and is subject to change.

Please check Blackboard weekly for the most up‐to‐date syllabus
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Activities to meet these outcomes
1. Complete laboratory experiments using standard and novel food microbiology
techniques.
2. Design and execute independent projects in small groups.
3. Write detailed research reports describing the plans and reporting and interpreting the
results.

Required Items
 Long pants and closed toe shoes (laboratory coat will be provided)
 Bound (not loose-leaf or spiral) laboratory notebook
 Binder
 1 pack of pens
 Calculator (including batteries for calculator)

FSHN Department and Program Outcomes Assessment

All graduates from the FSHN Department should be able to demonstrate the General
Department Outcomes (Communication (C), Critical Thinking and Problem Solving (P), Social
Concerns and Ethics (S), and Technical Skills (T)) and the FSHN Program‐Specific Outcomes
(grouped by curricula: Dietetics (D), Nutritional Science (NS), Food Science & Technology
(FST), Food Science & Industry (FSI), and Consumer Food Science (CFS)). Details about these
outcomes can be found at:
http://www.fshn.hs.iastate.edu/undergraduate‐programs/outcomes/learning‐
outcomes/#food‐science

The following Major Learning Goals in FSHN 421 will contribute to:
• Effective communication with others in one‐on‐one, small group, and large group
situations (C.1)
• Prepare and deliver effective presentations (orally and in writing) of technical
information to food science and nutrition professionals. (C. 2)
• Successfully solve multidisciplinary problems as part of a team. (P. 1)
• Successfully solve complex problems on your own. (P. 2)
• Summarize and accurately interpret data generated by yourself or others. (P. 4)
• The discussion of important pathogens and spoilage microorganisms in foods, the
most likely sources of these organisms, and the conditions under which they
grow. (FS 3)
• Explain spoilage and deterioration mechanisms in foods. (FS 17)
• The correct use of appropriate laboratory techniques to enumerate, isolate, and
identify microorganisms in foods. (FS 21)

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Assessment Methods/Grading
The course grade will be determined on a 500 point basis, as follows:
Qty Assessment methods Points each % Total
8 Pre- Laboratory Quizzes 5 8 40
7 Lab Reports 25 35 175
3 Lab notebook 15 9 45
4 Practical examination 10 8 40
1 Statement of Work 40 4 40
1 Final Poster Presentation 60 10 60
1 Final Written Report 60 8 60
1 Peer Evaluation 30 6 30
1 Instructor Evaluation 10 4 10
Total 100 500

Grading Scale
Plus/minus grades will be used within these ranges
90-100% A; 80-89% B; 70-79% C; 60-69% D; <60% F

Course expectations
Course Tuesday: Media Preparation/ Mini-Lecture
Schedule Thursday: Lab experiment
Friday: Finish-up lab experiment / Group and class discussion
Course Class discussions and laboratory activities are an essential component of the
attendance learning experience in this course. As such, your attendance is a necessary piece
to our individual and collaborative learning. With this in mind, attendance is
expected. You should notify the professor prior to missing any class. You are
responsible for all materials presented in class, including announcements about
course procedures. Your evaluation on assignments may indirectly reflect your
attendance.
Email Email will be an essential mode of communication in FSHN 421, both from the
instructor to the class (dissemination of additional readings, links to current food
safety news events, updates and additional materials needed for lab) and from
class members to the instructor (submission of scheduled reports, questions
about labs, advanced notification of nonattendance, etc.).
Participation We are all expected to come to class prepared to participate and engage in
discussions and activities. This participation requires all members of the class to
have completed reviews and understanding of laboratory assignments.
Furthermore, this requires that we all abstain from extraneous use of technology
and social media during class.
Pre- All quizzes will be administered online using the Blackboard. Generally, the
Laboratory quiz will open 1 week prior to the due date. Students have until Tuesday 8:00 am
Quizzes to complete their pre-laboratory quiz for the week’s lab experiment.

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Assignments All assignments must be submitted electronically using standard grammar usage.
Furthermore, adhere to the Journal of Food Science style for formatting
references. You are expected to follow this format for all laboratory report
references. Five (5) points per day will be deducted from late assignments.
Assignments more than a week old will NOT be accepted.
Notebook You are required to keep a laboratory notebook. See guidelines and notebook
examples on blackboard. Your laboratory notebook will be checked and graded
three (3) times this semester as noted in the course schedule.
Readings All students are required to take pre-laboratory quizzes. Students are expected to
read thorough all course materials.
Course Course content, syllabus, articles, etc. will be maintained on the course
content Blackboard site; students are expected to regularly visit and note potential
changes in course readings, assignments, or other expectations. Changes to the
course will be avoided as much as possible, but there are times such events are
unavoidable. As such, the instructor will provide email or verbal notifications,
but students are still expected to maintain an active presence on the Blackboard
site.
Additional The instructor will send (via email) additional readings related to recent or
Readings upcoming labs. It is expected that you will read and become familiar with this
material, which will most often be in the form of papers from the scientific
literature. These readings will provide additional background on laboratory
experiments and may also serve as an important source of extra credit points on
exams and quizzes.

Laboratory  Seven (7) type-written individual lab reports are required (Weeks 3-
Reports 9/Labs 1 – 7 and term project; due date schedule enclosed in syllabus).
 The required format for laboratory reports is enclosed in the following
pages of this manual.
 It is critical that you follow the guidelines included in this laboratory
manual to earn high scores on graded laboratories. If anything is not
clear to you, it is your responsibility to speak with the instructor before
the project due date.
 Laboratory reports will be graded using strict, but clear criteria (rubric
included via blackboard).
 Laboratory reports (25 points each) should be submitted via blackboard
by 2pm on the due date.
Format of I. Cover page
Laboratory Be sure to title each lab report clearly, and include your name(s) and date of
Reports submission (similar to below).
(Laboratory Report Cover Sheet)
Laboratory title:

Laboratory number: Date of submission:

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II. Introduction: (Purpose/Objectives/Hypotheses)
In this section, in your own words, explain why you are doing this experiment
and what hypotheses you are testing. Write complete sentences (no bulleted
fragments). Would a friend of yours reading your lab report understand the
Cont’d: significance of the experiments? The purpose you write in your lab notebook
Format of may be also used for your lab report.
Laboratory
Reports
In the laboratory reports (and team project), include at least one hypothesis for

each experiment conducted. Although ALL DATA will be reported in the

results section, the selected hypotheses will be the focus of

discussion/conclusion(s) your laboratory report.

III. Materials & Methods
You do not need to detail the instructions that are already completely outlined in
your lab manual; simply reference the laboratory manual (Coleman, S. 2016.
FSHN Food Microbiology Laboratory Manual. Iowa State University, Ames, IA.
Pages X-Y). If your experiment did not deviate from the course notebook (or
other reference), you do not need to describe all details of what you did; simply
cite references. However, clearly specify these things:
 Document which sample(s) or treatment(s) you selected for a given
experiment, if given options.
 Acknowledge any changes to materials or methods.

 Acknowledge mistakes so you don’t repeat them. Be honest with yourself

because a single mistake can throw off a discussion and conclusion.

Mistakes can be elaborated upon in your discussion (and hey, we all might

learn something from mistakes!).

 Include ALL calculations in notebook and reports. If you do not include
calculations, it may not be clear that you understand the process and you (or
someone looking at your notebook for guidance) may not be able to repeat it
in the future.

However, some of the labs you conduct (term project), will require significantly
more information than the laboratory manual provides. In these cases, reference
the manual, but detail the procedures you undertook in your lab report.

IV. Results & Discussion

This is the most important part of your lab report. The more you write in your
lab notebook as you do the work, the less time it will take to write up the lab

report (and the better your grade will be for your notebook and lab report!).

 Refer to each table and figure, before showing it. In other words, introduce
the table or figure, THEN show it. You must prepare the reader for the data,
then show it, then discuss the meaning/implications. No table or figure
should stand alone (though it should be labeled clearly enough that it could).

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It is up to the writer (you!) to make complete, clear tables and figures,
discuss them, then show them to the reader. Do not simply plop a bunch of
tables and figures in this section.
 All tables (titles above) and figures (titles below) belong in this section.
(Note: Excel will automatically put figure titles on the top, but this is the
Cont’d: wrong format. You must go in and manually change this.) Remember to
Format of make sure that tables and figures are very clear. Introduce the tables/figures
Laboratory with a sentence (do not let them stand alone without an introductory
Reports sentence.)
 Interpret what you see and record the meaning of your results in your
notebook. Be very descriptive of what you observe, (i.e., “Panelists were
unable to accurately determine the source of 2 out of 10 of the aromas
provided”). If you have written good hypotheses, it will be easy to state
whether they were supported or not, based upon the data reported. Was your
hypothesis rejected or not rejected? Although ALL DATA will be reported
in the results section, the selected hypotheses will be the focus of
discussion/conclusion(s) your laboratory report. What do you think the
observations/results mean? What do the findings help you learn about
sensory evaluation? Explain.
 Synthesize all of the information that you have available to you and consider
the larger implications of the findings. Use references to back up inferences
made in the R&D section. This is a particularly good practice for those
entering or in graduate school.
V. Conclusion
Encapsulate the take-home message of the entire laboratory in a brief overall
conclusion. Make sure you know the difference between summary and
conclusion. Summaries simply repeat information. Conclusions indicate
meaning because they involve synthesis and interpretation. Were objectives met?
Which hypotheses were rejected or not rejected? What is the take-home
message? Don’t include future research or any speculations that can’t be
supported by the experiments you conducted. Speculations and suggestions for
future research belong in the discussion.

VI. References
Use of references will help you understand material more deeply. Use the ISU
online library Article Indexes & Databases, specifically the Web of Science to
find peer-reviewed literature. This is an incredible resource that will not be
available to you once you graduate, so take full advantage of it now!! References
must be in the same format as the Journal of Food Science (Author(s) followed
by date within text; list full references in alphabetical order at the end of the
report). [For instance, Use "Damodaran and Kinsella (1980) studied
interactions…" to begin a sentence. In the middle or end, you will use "The
study of binding properties… (O'Neill and Kinsella 1987)…".]

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Technology
This course requires that you are familiar with and comfortable using various forms of
technology including Word, Excel, email, Blackboard, google scholar (or other online
databases), and other basic technology.

Academic Integrity and Dishonesty

Students are expected to submit original work that represents their personal thoughts/insights,
while still synthesizing or building on existing knowledge. The class will follow Iowa State
University’s policy on academic dishonesty. Anyone suspected of academic dishonesty will be
reported to the Dean of Students Office.
http://www.dso.iastate.edu/ja/academic/misconduct.html

Disability Accommodation
Iowa State University is committed to assuring that all educational activities are free from
discrimination and harassment based on disability status. All students requesting
accommodations are required to meet with staff in Student Disability Resources (SDR) to
establish eligibility. A Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) form will be
provided to eligible students. The provision of reasonable accommodations in this course will be
arranged after timely delivery of the SAAR form to the instructor. Students are encouraged to
deliver completed SAAR forms as early in the semester as possible. SDR, a unit in the Dean of
Students Office, is located in room 1076, Student Services Building or online at
www.dso.iastate.edu/dr/. Contact SDR by e-mail at disabilityresources@iastate.edu or by phone
at 515-294-7220 for additional information.

Dead Week
This class follows the Iowa State University Dead Week policy as noted in section 10.6.4 of the
Faculty Handbook http://www.provost.iastate.edu/resources/faculty-handbook .
Harassment and Discrimination
Iowa State University strives to maintain our campus as a place of work and study for faculty,
staff, and students that is free of all forms of prohibited discrimination and harassment based
upon race, ethnicity, sex (including sexual assault), pregnancy, color, religion, national origin,
physical or mental disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic
information, or status as a U.S. veteran. Any student who has concerns about such behavior
should contact his/her instructor, Student Assistance at 515-294-1020 or email dso-
sas@iastate.edu, or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance at 515-294-7612.

Religious Accommodation
If an academic or work requirement conflicts with your religious practices and/or observances,
you may request reasonable accommodations. Your request must be in writing, and your
instructor or supervisor will review the request. You or your instructor may also seek assistance
from the Dean of Students Office or the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance.

Contact Information
If you are experiencing, or have experienced, a problem with any of the above issues, email
academicissues@iastate.edu.

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Course Schedule (Please note that this a tentative schedule and is subject to revisions)

Week Date EXP Topic Prep Quiz Report Notebook Practical Final Team
Due Due Check Project
T 1/10 Introduction: tag activity, syllabus review,
X
laboratory safety training
R 1/12 Basic Microbiological Techniques: aseptic X
1
techniques, media preparation
F 1/13 Basic Microbiological Techniques: serial
dilution and spread plating
T 1/17 Basic Microbiological Techniques: Guidelines X
for colony counting and streaking
R 1/19 Microscopic examination of yeast, mold and
2
bacteria: smearing, gram and simple staining
F 1/20 Microscopic examination of yeast, mold and
bacteria: staining (con’t) and catalase test
T 1/24 Sample preparation: Stomacher vs Pulsifier X X
3 R 1/26 1 and Abbreviated plating method (Track
F 1/27 plating) 2/3/2016
T 1/31 X X
4 R 2/2 2 Detection of Coliforms/Recovery Method
F 2/3 2/10/2016
T 2/7 X X
Detection of Coliforms and Escherichia coli
5 R 2/9 3 X
using 3M Petrifilm
F 2/10 2/17/2016
T 2/14 X X Introduction
6 R 2/16 4 Detection of Salmonella spp. to Shelf-Life
F 2/17 2/24/2016 Lab 1-3
T 2/21 X X Selection of
7 R 2/23 5 Salmonella using Rambach Agar Food Sample
F 2/24 3/3/2016

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Week Date EXP Topic Prep Quiz Report Notebook Practical Final Project
T 2/28 X X Team
Enumeration of Staphylococcus aureus from
8 R 3/2 6 Conferences
Food
F 3/3 3/10/2016
T 3/7 X X Statement of
9 R 3/9 7 Endogenous Flora of Foods X Work due
F 3/10 3/21/2016
T 3/14
10 R 3/16 Spring Break
F 3/17
T 3/21 Final Team Project
11 R 3/23
F 3/24 Lab 4-7
T 3/28
12 R 3/30
F 3/31 X
T 4/4
13 R 4/6
F 4/7
T 4/11
14 R 4/13
F 4/14
15 T 4/18
R 4/20
F 4/21
16 T 4/25 Final Poster Presentation 4/28/2016 Project
4/27 Group
4/28 X