What term describes the process where bacteria produce toxins in food?

The term that describes the process where bacteria produce toxins in food is intoxications. This process specifically refers to the scenario in which food is contaminated by bacteria that not only multiply but also produce harmful toxins as they grow. When an individual consumes this food, they are ingesting the toxins, which can lead to illness.

This concept is distinct from other terms often confused with intoxications. Contamination, for instance, involves the presence of pathogens or harmful substances in food but does not necessarily imply that those pathogens are producing toxins. Similarly, infestation generally refers to the presence of organisms like insects or worms in food, while infection pertains to the actual growth and multiplication of pathogens within the human body after ingestion, leading to illness due to the organism itself rather than its toxins. Therefore, intoxications accurately captures the specific mechanism of toxin production by bacteria in food.