Abstract:
Despite advances in food science and technology,
foodborne illness is an important cause of morbidity as
well mortality both in developing and under developing
countries of the world. It is estimated that about one
third of the population of industrialized nations are
affected from foodborne diseases each year. Microbes
can contaminate the food any stage of food chain. In
many types of food and feed, the soil can be considered
as the initial contamination source for spore forming
organisms. Due to the complexity of the food chain,
particular spore-forming species may encounter niches
where proliferation occurs. This can happen on the
primary production level, in the processing or in the
final product .These proliferation steps enable the
endospore former B. cereus, either to enter as a
contaminant into a next step of the production chain or
to provoke food quality or safety problems in the final
product. It causes two types of food poisoning known
as the emetic and the diarrhoeal types. The widespread
distribution of B. cereus and the ability of the spores to
survive long-term storage in food products, and the
thermal resistance of spores help to explain that a wide
variety of foods have been implicated in B. cereus
foodborne illness outbreaks. It is not surprising that B.
cereus is a major concern of the food industry, because
it seems impossible to avoid its presence in foods
completely. Therefore, sanitation, HACCP and good
hygienic practices should be followed to prevent growth
of this bacterium during food handling. In addition, it is
recommended to monitor the presence of B.cereus in
foodborne outbreaks.
