Abstract: Predicting accurately the number and growth of foodborne pathogens based on predictive microbiology is of great significance for reducing food safety risks. The review deals with recent progress in the modeling of foodborne pathogen growth at the lag phase. We present a summary of the commonly used techniques for lag period determination and modelling approaches. After reviewing the previous studies on lag phase modeling, we point out the limitations and we suggest that the lag phase should be redefined based on the microbial growth mechanism. In the future, improved and innovative enumeration techniques and modeling methods will be developed according to the new definition of lag phase. Quantitative analysis and integration into lag phase modeling of the factors influencing the lag phase remain to be conducted.

Key words: foodborne pathogen, predictive microbiology, lag phase