INCIDENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD OF Enterobacter sakazakii IN MILK POWDER AND SOME DRIED MILK-BASED FOODS

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Dept. of Food Hygiene, Fac. of Vet. Med., Assiut Uni., Egypt.

2 Assiut Animal Research Center

Abstract

A total of 120 random samples of milk powder, dried milk-based baby foods, cappuccino and tea creamer (30 samples each) were obtained from different shops and pharmacies in Assiut city. The samples were still valid for consumption as their shelf life was at least one year from the production date. These samples were examined for prevalence of Enterobacter sakazakii which could be isolated in percentage rates of 0, 3.33, 6.67 and 0%, respectively using the isolation procedure with Enterobacteriaceae enrichment broth, while the isolation procedure with peptone water showed its percentage rates as 0, 10, 0 and 0%, respectively. Thus 3 different procedures were used for isolation of such organism, the enrichment broth was used in 2 procedures and one procedure was carried out without enrichment broth. The 2 procedures using enrichment broth were valuable for isolation of E. sakazakii than that used without enrichment. The results obtained in this study showed that dried milk-based baby foods were the worst in its contamination by E sakazakii. However, cappuccino samples were of less contamination while milk powder and tea creamer samples failed to recover the organism. Other organisms related to genus Enterobacter could be isolated as E. aerogenes, E. cloacae, E. agglomerans and E. intermedius. Also, 29 isolates related to family Enterobacteriaceae could be isolated from the examined samples using the 3 different methods of isolation. The isolates were found to be Cedecea species, Escherichia co Ewingella americana, Hafnia alvei, Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. oxytoca, K. rhinoscleromatis, K. terrigena, Pantoea species, Salmonella paratyphi A, Serratia marcescens, S. liquefaciens, S. plymuthica, Shigella species and Yersinia species. Suggestive hygienic measures for improving the quality of milk powder and some dried milk-based foods and the public health hazard of E. sakazakii were recommended.

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