Prevalence, Molecular Characterization and Antibiogram Assay of Human Pathogens Associated with an Indian Frozen Dessert Sold in Bangalore, India

摘要

Kulfi is a traditional dairy-based frozen dessert sold in almost all the cities in India and relished by people of different age groups, mainly popular among the teenagers. The present study was undertaken to investigate the microbiological quality of kulfi sold in many parts of Bangalore, India. Twenty kulfi samples, comprising of seven different brands, were analyzed. Biochemical and molecular characterization revealed the presence of bacterial pathogens such as Streptococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus coagulans, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus citreus, Micrococcus luteus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis and psychrotolerant bacteria Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Chryseobacterium gleum. Total viable counts of bacteria in the samples varied between 1.0-137 x 104 CFU/g. Presence of Lactobacillus sp. was also detected in few samples. Salmonella and Vibrio cholerae were not detected in any of the samples. Yeasts like Saccharomyces, Rhodotorula and Torulopsis were also encountered but no filamentous fungus was detected. Antibiogram assay indicated that ofloxacin and gentamicin were highly effective against gram positive bacteria, whereas, ciprofloxacin largely inhibited gram negative isolates. It is suggested that good quality water and pasteurized milk should be used for the preparation of kulfi inorder to avoid any foodborne pathogenic outbreaks in future.