Risk of Bacillus cereus in Relation to Rice and Derivatives

Abstract

Rice is a very popular food throughout the world and the basis of the diet of the citizens of many countries. It is used as a raw material for the preparation of many complex dishes in which different ingredients are involved. Rice, as a consequence of their cultivation, harvesting, and handling, is often contaminated with spores of Bacillus cereus, a ubiquitous microorganism found mainly in the soil. B. cereus can multiply under temperature conditions as low as 4 °C in foods that contain rice and have been cooked or subjected to treatments that do not produce commercial sterility. B. cereus produces diarrhoeal or emetic foodborne toxin when the consumer eats food in which a sufficient number of cells have grown. These circumstances mean that every year many outbreaks of intoxication or intestinal problems related to this microorganism are reported. This work is a review from the perspective of risk assessment of the risk posed by B. cereus to the health of consumers and of some control measures that can be used to mitigate such a risk.

Assessment of the Antibacterial Mechanism of Pterostilbene against Bacillus cereus through Apoptosis-like Cell Death and Evaluation of Its Beneficial Effects on the Gut Microbiota

“…2 Emetic syndrome appears when the preformed cereulide toxin produced during B. cereus growth is consumed, while diarrheal syndromes occur when enough B. cereus is consumed and the bacteria grow in the intestine and release their toxins. 4 In addition, the spores of B. cereus that form under stress conditions are resistant to pH changes, and upon ingestion via contaminated food, they can germinate in the small intestine to produce the diarrheal toxin. 4 Accordingly, the food industry has been applying physical and chemical methods and heat treatment to control the number of microorganisms that are present in food, including heating, freezing, irradiation, highpressure treatments, and the addition of chemical preservatives.…”

“…4 In addition, the spores of B. cereus that form under stress conditions are resistant to pH changes, and upon ingestion via contaminated food, they can germinate in the small intestine to produce the diarrheal toxin. 4 Accordingly, the food industry has been applying physical and chemical methods and heat treatment to control the number of microorganisms that are present in food, including heating, freezing, irradiation, highpressure treatments, and the addition of chemical preservatives. 5 However, only commercial sterilization can ensure the complete inactivation of spores, but this process is not possible for certain types of food, such as during the production of meals in restaurants.…”

Bacillus spp. Contamination: A Novel Risk Originated From Animal Feed to Human Food Chains in South-Eastern Bangladesh

“…Furthermore, B. cereus was a leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States and the third most common food pathogen in China, which causes two distinct gastrointestinal diseases, emesis and diarrhea, as well as many systemic and local complications including hemorrhagic necroses in the central nervous system, fulminant bacteremia, pneumonia, endophthalmitis, and gas gangrene-like cutaneous symptoms in both immune-deficient and immune-competent individuals ( Cui et al, 2019 ; Li et al, 2020 ; Deng et al, 2021 ; Haque et al, 2021 ). In 2018, B. cereus was found in 98 reported outbreaks across EU member States, accounting for 1.9% of all outbreaks, affecting 1,539 people, 111 hospitalizations, and 1 death ( Rodrigo et al, 2021 ). Food-borne B. cereus poisoning includes animal-derived products (poultry, meat and meat products, puddings, sauces, milk and milk products, pasteurized liquid eggs, fish, stew) and plant-based foods (rice, potatoes, cereals, grains, spices, vegetables, salads) ( Haque et al, 2021 ).…”

Joint effect of temperature and insect chitosan on the heat resistance of Bacillus cereus spores in rice derivatives

“…Bacillus cereus is present in many foods due to its ubiquitous nature. This microorganism is one of the top ten pathogens responsible for many foodborne diseases in humans (Rodrigo et al. 2021).…”

“…2015). Some works pointed out that the current cooking processes for rice and rice derivatives do not inactivate B. cereus spores and consequently they can germinate and grow in food if it is not stored properly (Rodrigo et al 2021). Different control measures have been proposed to control Bacillus cereus in foods.…”