Minimal infective dose

The concept of a minimal infective dose (MID), also known as the infectious dose, has traditionally been used for infectious microorganisms that contaminate foods. MID was defined as the number of microorganisms ingested (the dose) from which a pathology is observed in the consumer. For example, to cause gastrointestinal disorders, the food must contain more than 100,000 Salmonella per gram or 1000 per gram for salmonellosis.^[1] however, some viruses like DHBV( duck hepatitis B virus) need as low as 9.5 x 10(9) virus per milliliters to cause liver infections^[2].To know the dose ingested, it is also necessary to know the mass of the portion. This may be calculated using the following formula:

${\displaystyle {\ce {d\ =\ c\times m}}}$

where:

• ${\displaystyle {\ce {d}}}$ = number of bacteria i.e. dose
• ${\displaystyle {\ce {c}}}$ = concentration of bacteria
• ${\displaystyle {\ce {m}}}$ = mass^{[citation needed]}

This formulation has served as a basis for reasoning to establish the maximum concentrations permitted by the microbiological regulatory criteria intended to protect the health of consumers.