Microbial contamination by Bacillus cereus, clostridium perfringens, and enterobacter sakazakii in sunsik

Abstract

The powdered cereal sunsik is a partially thermal-processed product that required safety evaluations for food-borne pathogens. Thirty-six sunsik products from Korean markets were collected and analyzed for contamination by total viable cell counts, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and the spore-forming Clostridium perfringens and Bacillus cereus. Enterobacter sakazakii, as a newly emerging pathogen, was also analyzed. Approximately 28% of sunsik were contaminated at 5 log CFU/g for total viable counts. Coliforms and E. coli were detected in 33 and 4% of the samples, respectively. The spore-forming B. cereus was found in 42% of the samples at a maximal level of 3 log CFU/g on average. About 6% the samples were contaminated with Cl. perfringens at an average level of 15 CFU/g. Forty-five % of sunsik contained E. sakazakii, at levels from 0.007 to over 1.1 cell/g by MPN method. In addition, one sunsik product for infants and children showed over 3 log CFU/g for both B. cereus and E. sakazaki. Therefore, concern should be placed on controlling for microbial hazards such as B. cereus and E. sakazakii in sunsik, particularly for the products fed to infants under 6 months of age. © The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology.