Factors Impacting the Detection of Microorganisms From Environmental Surfaces
April 18, 2023

Environmental monitoring programs are designed to detect the presence of microorganisms in food manufacturing environments, with the goal of preventing microbial contamination of food.
Sampling and recovery of microbial communities in food processing environments are impacted by different factors, including the selection of the sampling devices, surface characteristics, microbial attachment to the surface, processing environmental conditions, and the downstream methods used for detection.
In this webinar, Dr. Kristen E. Gibson of the University of Arkansas reviewed the impact of these factors on the detection of microorganisms from environmental surfaces. After the presentation, questions were answered live.
What was covered:
- An overview of environmental monitoring
- Key components of an environmental monitoring program
- Factors impacting microbial recovery from surfaces
- Best practices and considerations for your environmental monitoring program
About the Speaker


Kristen E. Gibson, Ph.D. – Donald "Buddy" Wray, Endowed Chair in Food Safety, Director of the Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Dr. Kristen Gibson is a professor in the Department of Food Science and Director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. She received her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Molecular Biology from the University of Central Florida and her Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Kristen’s research interests are focused on understanding the fate and transport of human pathogens within the environment, optimization of methods for the detection of human pathogens in food and water and on environmental surfaces, and food safety at the retail and consumer level.
Category: Webinars, Food & Beverage, Environmental Monitoring