Bacteriostat: An agent that inhibits the
growth of bacteria but does not necessarily
kill them.
Biosecurity: Assurance that the food sup-
ply is protected against intentional contami-
nation of microbial, chemical, and/or
physical substances that render it unsafe for
human consumption.
Botulism: Intoxication resulting from con-
sumption of a toxin produced by Clostrid-
ium botulinum.
Buffer: A material that moderates the inten-
sity of an acid or alkali in solution without
reducing the quantity of acidity or alkalinity.
Builder(s): An adjunct added to cleaning
compounds to control properties that tend
to reduce the surfactant’s effectiveness.
Celsius: Temperature scale related to the
Fahrenheit scale by the formula 5/9
(ºFahrenheit - 32º) = ºCelsius (centigrade).
Clean: Free of visible soil.
Cleaning: The physical removal of soil
from a surface.
Cocci: Spherically shaped bacteria.
Complexing: Combining of one compound
with another.
Contaminate: To add foreign and unwanted
matter to an object or environment.
Control point: Any step or procedure by
which biological, physical, or chemical fac-
tors can be controlled.
Coving: A curved sealed edge between a
floor and wall to facilitate cleaning and
retarding insect harborage.
Critical control point: A step or procedure
at which control can be applied and a food
safety hazard prevented, eliminated, or
reduced to an acceptable level.Critical limits: Tolerances prescribed to
ensure that critical control points effectively
control a hazard.Cross-contamination: The transfer of
microorganisms from one food to another
through a nonfood surface, such as equip-
ment, utensils, or human hands.Deflocculation (dispersion): The action of
breaking up aggregates into individual
parts.Detergent: A chemical cleanser similar to
soaps but of a different chemical nature.Disinfect: To remove potentially patho-
genic microorganisms from an object or
from the environment.Disinfectant: A chemical used to destroy
the growing forms but not necessarily the
spores, of potentially pathogenic microor-
ganisms.Dispersion: Deflocculation; breaking up of
a mass into fine particles that are suspended
in solution.Endotoxin: A toxin produced within a
microorganism and liberated when the
microorganism disintegrates.Exotoxin: A toxin excreted by a microbe
into the surrounding medium.Fahrenheit: A temperature scale related to
Celsius (centigrade) by the formula 9/5 (ºCel-
sius + 32º) = ºFahrenheit.Glossary 403