MadSci Network: Microbiology |
The single most important factor influencing the growth of any bacteria in food is temperature.
After that factors like the pH (acidity) of the food and the available moisture (water activity) are important.
You also mentioned raw and cooked foods� Cooked foods (heated to 165 F or above) should not contain any living E. coli bacteria. They will be killed by the heating process.
Reference
Check out the Foodsafe
Program at UC Davis.
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Microbiology.