Survival of Bacillus cereus spores and vegetative cell on water temperature during the preparation and storage of infant food instan powder.

Abstract

Bacillus cereus is one of foodborne pathogenic bacteria and constituting one of ‘emerging’ pathogen that can cause serious disease in baby, such as low body weight and neonatal premature. Data in Indonesia on B. cereus contamination incidence in food are limited. This research aimed to evaluate the survival of B. cereus spores and vegetative cell in infant food (MP-ASI), during preparation at various water temperature (30,70, and 90 oC), to analyze the ability germination of B. cereus spores at room temperature and to evaluate the survival of B. cereus spores during storage of infant food instan powder. In addition, the microbiological quality of infant food instan powder i.e. total plate counts and the presence of B. cereus were also determined. The result showed that the average total B. cereus in sample were 1.85 log CFU /g with a range of 1.73 log CFU /g to 2.06 log CFU /g, the TPC was in range of 0.86 log CFU /g to 2.53 log CFU /g. The water temperature for preparation affected significantly in reduction of vegetative cell B. cereus. B. cereus spores can germinate in infant food (MP-ASI) and the growth of population bacteria were increase ≥ 1 log during 3 hours, at room temperature (28-29 oC), after preparation using water at 30 ⁰C. Water temperature of 70 °C found as the optimum temperature for preparation. The spore of B. cereus can survive on dry condition.