Occurrence of Bacillus Cereus in Some Milk-Based Desserts

A total of one hundred and fifty milk-based desserts samples including rice with milk, pudding, and custard (50 each) were collected from different localities in Assiut city, Egypt. The collected samples were examined for the isolation and enumeration of Bacillus cereus. The Most Probable Number technique was used for the enumeration of Bacillus cereus using tryptone soy polymyxin broth and Mannitol Egg Yolk Polymyxin (MYP) agar. The incidence of Bacillus cereus was62%, 44% and 32% in the examined rice with milk, pudding, and custard samples, respectively. The Bacillus cereus count in most of the examined samples was in the range of 10-<102 CFU/g. The public health importance of Bacillus cereus was also discussed.