Bacterial Growth and Hazardous Foods

Many bacteria reproduce by means of fission: One bacterium grows and then splits into two bacteria of equal size. These bacteria divide to form four, the four form eight, and so on. Under ideal circumstances, bacteria will reproduce every twenty minutes or so. In about twelve hours, one bacterium can multiply into sixty-eight billion bacteria, more than enough to cause illness.

Certain bacteria reproduce via sporulation: They are able to form endospores, which protect them against adverse circumstances such as high temperatures or dehydration. Endospores allow an individual bacterium to resume its life cycle if favorable conditions should recur.