QIB Extra Scientists Publish Important Manuscript on Bacillus cereus and Chilled Foods

  07/10/2019 10:35:10

QIB Extra consultant microbiologist Professor Mike Peck and colleagues have recently published a paper examining the risk of food poisoning with Bacillus cereus in minimally processed chilled foods.

Bacillus cereus is responsible for 2 types of food poisoning; diarrhoeal (infection) and emetic (intoxication). Diarrhoeal infection occurs when organisms in the food grow and form toxin in the small intestine. Emetic illness is when pre-formed toxin present in the food is ingested.

Professor Peck and colleagues reviewed all available industry data and found that, although estimated sales of minimally processed chilled foods were 10 billion (10¹⁰) packs between 1995-2005, there have been no reported cases of B.cereus food poisoning in correctly stored minimally processed products.This led them to conclude that the risk posed by this organism to these products when stored correctly was very low.

To read more about their conclusions and B. cereus click here.
 
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