Psychrotrophic microorganisms have a maximum temperature for growth above 20 degrees C and are widespread in natural environments and in foods. Psychrophilic microorganisms have a maximum temperature for growth at 20 degrees C or below and are restricted to permanently cold habitats
The key difference between psychrophiles and psychrotrophs is that psychrophiles are microorganisms with an optimal growth temperature of 15 0C or lower, a maximum temperature below 20 0C, and a minimal growth temperature at 0 0C or lower while psychrotrophs are microorganisms that can grow at 0 0C but have an optimal
