• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.815-818
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to develop a differential medium with improved selectivity for the isolation of Bacillus cereus. Mannitol egg yolk polymyxin medium supplemented with D-galactose allowed the differentiation of diarrheal- and emetic-type B. cereus through pH monitoring. The pH of the medium decreased significantly when incubating the emetic-type B. cereus, whereas the pH change was not significant when incubating the diarrheal-type. The addition of pH indicators, such as methyl red and phenol red, to the medium allowed visual differentiation between diarrheal- and emetic-type B. cereus. A solid agar medium was also developed by optimizing the concentrations of medium components such as monosaccharides, agar, egg yolk enrichment, pH indicators, and antibiotics. This study indicates the possibility of applying selective media for the differentiation of diarrheal- and emetic-type B. cereus.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.208-214
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• 2009

To avoid ambiguity in counting the number of colony, about 1,500 of colonies grown on B. cereus selective agar plates were grouped into 12 types by morphological difference and then identified by biochemical and 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence. Among them, seven colony types with 11 to 15 mm diameters of halo were identified as B. cereus or B. cereus subsp. cytotoxis. Five mm sized colonies with no halo, which have not been considered as B. cereus according to the manufacturer's manual, were identified as B. cereus. A colony type with double halos of only 6 mm in diameter was also B. cereus. Other three types were proven to be Enterococcus sp., Brevibacillus sp., and B. subtilis, respectively. PCR results showed that only 9 types that are identified as B. cereus strains harbor at least one of B. cereus toxin genes.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.678-684
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• 2020

The objective of this study was to identify the fermentation characteristics of Bacillus thuringiensis and emetic, non-emetic Bacillus cereus using analytical profile index (API) test. Ten strains of B. thuringiensis and 10 strains of B. cereus including 3 strains of emetic type were used at the same concentrations. The differences of fermentation characteristics between the B. thuringiensis and B. cereus was not obvious, but the differences between the non-emetic and emetic B. cereus were distinctive. Seven among 50 substrates were negative for all non-emetic B. cereus strains and positive for all emetic strains, and three substrates among additional 12 substrates had the same tendency. From these differences, 3 emetic B. cereus strains were not indicated as B. cereus by API test. These results indicate that API test is not a suitable method to identify some strains of emetic B. cereus, and the distinctive differences in substrate utilization can be used to improve selective media.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.388-394
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• 2007

This study was conducted to evaluate the selective media listed in currently available Food Code in Korea. The 29 different types of media of five different types of foodborne bacteria including Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus were tested in the broth and food. The recovery test for five different types of foodborne bacteria was performed in the artificially inoculated into chicken, rice, pork and mackerel. There was no significant differences in isolation capabilities among twenty nine different types of isolation selective media for five different types of foodborne bacteria in broth condition, while there was significantly a little differences in isolation capabilities among those on foods (P<0.05). The higher number of foodborne pathogens were isolated from conventional selective media approved in Food Code than newly developed selective media such as chromogenic media. This results suggest that there was differences of selectivities among currently available isolation selective media in many countries and further studies are needed to be approved by Korean Food and Drug Administration.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2003

Raw and washed spinaches were tested to evaluate the incidences of Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Plesiomonas shigelloides, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, Bacillus cereus, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. Four pathogenic bacteria were isolated from spinach samples, and identified by morphological and biochemical methods, including API and ATB identification systems. Isolates from MacConkey, Cereus Selective, Clostridium Perfringens, and Baird-Parker agar media were in 99.9, 99.8, 99.9, and 97.8% agreements with A. hydrophila, B. cereus, C. perfringens, and S. aureus at the species level, respectively. SET-RPLA revealed, among the five strains of S. aureus isolates, two produced type A enterotoxin. All five strains of B. cereus isolates produced enterotoxin as revealed with CRET-RPLA.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.397-404
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• 2015

Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate microbial contamination in the school food service environment for the assessment of microbial food safety. Methods: We collected both swab samples from tables and desks and airborne bacterial samples from an elementary school (School A) and a high school (School B). Heterotrophic plate count, total coliform, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus were measured with selective media to quantify microbial concentration. PCR assay targeting 16S rRNA genes was performed to identify the strains of S. aureus and B. cereus isolated. In addition, we made a food service checklist for the locations to evaluate the food service environment. A Wilcoxon test was employed to examine the differences in microbial concentration between before lunchtime and afterwards. Results: Heterotrophic plate counts showed higher levels after-lunch compared to before-lunch at School B. However, levels of S. aureus were higher in the after-lunch period (p<0.05) in both classrooms and in the cafeteria in School A. B. cereus was only sparsely detected in School B. Several samples from food dining carts were found to be contaminated with bacteria, and facilities associated with food delivery were found to be vulnerable to bacterial contamination. Although microbial concentrations in the air showed little difference between before- and after-lunchtime in the cafeteria in School A, those in classrooms were greater after-lunchtime at both schools. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the microbial safety in schools after lunchtime of concern. Necessary preventive measures such as hygiene education for students and food handlers should be required to minimize microbial contamination during food service processes in schools.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.376-386
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• 2011

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial hazards posed by food utensils and fixtures in food service operations at selected middle and high schools located in Seoul, Korea. Methods: We collected 200 samples of utensils and fixtures including cups, spoons/chopsticks, food trays and tables from five different schools in Seoul. Target microorganisms of this study were divided into two groups: total bacterial count and total coliform as indicators of microbial contamination and Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus as pathogens of food poisoning. We used selective media to quantify microbial concentration and 16S rRNA PCR assay for qualitative analysis. In addition, intensive interviews with nutritionists were conducted and observations were made to identify factors that may affect microbial contamination. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the relationship between the microbial concentration and operation characteristics of each operation. Results: The level of microbial concentration in school B and C were significantly lower than in school A, D and E (p<0.05). Some samples from school A, D and E showed over 3.4 log CFU/100 $cm^2$ (total bacterial count) and 1.0 log CFU/100 $cm^2$ (total coliform), which requires immediate hygienic action. The number of customers per staff member, periodicity of hygiene education for staff and daily operation time of sterilizers were also found to be important factors related with the microbial contamination of food service operations. Conclusions: These results suggested that not only a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) approach, but also efforts to assess internal risk factors within operations be needed to reduce the microbial contamination of food utensils and fixtures. This study is expected to provide preliminary data for assessing microbial hazards in food service operations.