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. 2020 Dec 19;9(12):1899.
doi: 10.3390/foods9121899.

Exposure to Bacillus cereus in Water Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Angela Michela Immacolata Montone  1 , Federico Capuano  1 , Andrea Mancusi  1 , Orlandina Di Maro  1 , Maria Francesca Peruzy  2 , Yolande Thérèse Rose Proroga  1 , Daniela Cristiano  1
Affiliations

Exposure to Bacillus cereus in Water Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese

Angela Michela Immacolata Montone et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Bacillus cereus is a spoilage bacterium and is recognized as an agent of food poisoning. Two food-borne illnesses are caused by B. cereus: a diarrheal disease, associated with cytotoxin K, hemolysin BL, non-hemolytic enterotoxin and enterotoxin FM, and an emetic syndrome, associated with the cereulide toxin. Owing to the heat resistance of B. cereus and its ability to grow in milk, this organism should be considered potentially hazardous in dairy products. The present study assessed the risk of B. cereus poisoning due to the consumption of water buffalo mozzarella cheese. A total of 340 samples were analyzed to determine B. cereus counts (ISO 7932:2005); isolates underwent molecular characterization to detect the presence of genes encoding toxins. Eighty-nine (26.1%) samples harbored B. cereus strains, with values ranging from 2.2 × 102 to 2.6 × 106 CFU/g. Isolates showed eight different molecular profiles, and some displayed virulence characteristics. Bacterial counts and the toxin profiles of isolates were evaluated both separately and jointly to assess the risk of enteritis due to B. cereus following the consumption of buffalo mozzarella cheese. In conclusion, the results of the present study showed that the risk of poisoning by B. cereus following the consumption of this cheese was moderate.

Keywords: Bacillus cereus; risk of poisoning; toxinotype; water buffalo mozzarella cheese.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual amount of mozzarella consumed, subdivided by level of risk (high; moderate; low) and the method of risk determination (B. cereus counting; molecular profiling of isolates; combined evaluation: B. cereus counting plus molecular profiling of isolates).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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