Occurrence and risk‐related features of Bacillus cereus in fluid milk

Abstract

This work assessed the prevalence and risk‐related phenotypes of Bacillus cereus in milk products. Bacillus was the most dominant genus of 113 collected strains from 41 milk samples, and B. cereus (19.27%) was the most abundant species showing a high genetic diversity with seven random amplified polymorphic DNA patterns. Most B. cereus isolates were strong biofilm formers with good motility, extracellular polymeric substance‐producing ability, high proteolytic and lipolytic activities. Antibiotic resistance analysis suggested the majority B. cereus strains were resistant to oxacillin (90.48%), tetracycline (95.24%), and penicillin G sodium (47.62%). Results revealed the genotypic diversity of B. cereus, and their potential risk in dairy industry.