Welcome to the Microbiology Information

Bacillus licheniformis is a Gram-positive motile spore-forming rod, facultative anaerobic and belongs to the Bacillus subtilus group of Bacilli. It is an apathogenic soil organism that is mainly associated with plant and plant materials in nature but can be isolated from nearly everywhere in natures such soil, water, food manufacturing plant and so forth. Although its spores are highly heat resistant (100.C for 30 minutes), it is not as resistant as Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Although very very rare, Bacillus licheniformis has been associated in food poisoning in humans with foods such as cooked meat, poultry and vegetable dishes (particularly stews and curries which have been served with rice). Again this is a rare occurrence and not a major concern. Food poisoning by Bacillus licheniformis is characterized by diarrhea, although vomiting occurs in half of reported cases.

Bacillus licheniformis produce proteases and amylases which at high levels can cause the breakdown of short shelf-life foods with starch such as custards, rice puddings, sauces and so forth. Industrially the enzymes produced by Bacillus licheniformis have been extracted for use in household detergents. In the U.S. about 50% of liquid detergents, 25% of powder detergents, and almost all powdered bleach additives now contain enzymes to help break down stains that are otherwise hard to remove with conventional surfactants alone.

Bacillus licheniformis produce also produces penicillinase, pentosanases, bacitracin, proticin, 5′inosinic acid and inosine, citric acid, and substituted Ltryptophan.

Bacillus licheniformis is also a common dairy contaminant being present in raw milk. Monitoring of incoming raw milk for spores is an effective method of determining whether bacillus spores are present in the milk supply. The species has been isolated in pasteurized milk and cream where it can cause bitterness due to the protease enzymes breaking down the milk protein. It has also been reported as a contaminant in UHT milk as well. Although it is very unlikely to survive the UHT sterilization process, it may reside in the environment within the manufacturing plant and therefore Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) will ensure its prevalence is the environment is reduced. Areas may include dirty valves, seals, heating plates, air vents and so forth.

Bacillus licheniformis also causes ropiness in bread and again monitoring the spore levels in flour may be an effective method of determining whether bacillus spores are present in flour used.

Bacillus licheniformis optimum growth temperature is 30.C; however it will not grow at low pH.

Bacillus No Synopsis Available

UHT stands for Ultra High Temperature pasteurization and packing. During manufacture, the process produces milk that will be fresh and natural for several months without refrigeration. UHT milk has extended shelf life (shelf stable) and is sometimes called long life or extended life milk also. No preservatives are added.

Once the pack has been opened it must be refrigerated. UHT milk is a perfect choice for breakfast, school lunch, hiking, biking, camping, travel, food storage, emergency preparedness, and disaster response.

The milk has a longer shelf-life because of the aseptic packaging. This packaging ensures the milk is free of bacteria and hermetically seals it (air tight) thus eliminating the bacteria, air and light which will cause milk to sour. Whether in cartons or bags the foil lined aseptic packaging assures your milk is free of contaminates that rob shelf life.

Behind the manufacture of UHT milk include a strong team of technical personnel such as engineers, microbiologist and food technologist to ensure the UHT process works perfectly to bring you this great product.

Bacillus stearothermophilus is a gram positive, heat resistant spore-forming rod. This bacterium can survive high temperatures between 130 – 145°C and grows well in high temperatures such as 55oC. Which is whay it is found in warm compost piles.

This is a cross section (a view of a slice of the middle) of a spore of Bacillus stearothermophilus. Spores of bacteria allow the bacteria to survive harsh conditions until the time when the bacterium can thrive and reproduce.

The heat resistance property comes from the spore which allows the bacterium to survive the harsh condition. It remains in a non-germinating dormant state until a favourable temperature (43 to 75°C) is reached. The spore is then activated by a process called heat shock thereby enabling the spore to germinate into a vegetative cell and hence reproduce.

Bacillus stearothermophilus has been known to cause spoilage in many Ultra High Temperature (UHT) processed foods such as milk and dairy products.