Modelling: One word for many activities and uses

Modelling in food microbiology relies on the development and use of mathematical equations to describe biological processes. These models can be used to perform various tasks from quantitatively describing a phenomenon, testing significant kinetic differences, quantitatively investigate mechanisms and correlations, designing experiments and sampling plans, or predicting phenomena within a food chain to enable optimal control. It is important to clearly identify what one wants to realize, and depending on the purpose of the model, select the most appropriate approach for modelling. In this paper various applications are illustrated and for each application an example is given to highlight the broad use of models and model results in food microbiology.