Diversity of Bacillus species isolated from biofilm of raw milk tankers and dairy processing equipments

Bacillus is the dominant genus encloses gram-positive spore-formers that some are considered as a threat to the quality of foods and consumers’ health. This study aimed to explore the occurrence of Bacillus species in raw milk tankers and dairy processing equipments as well as to examine the biofilm-forming ability of the isolates. For this reason, a total of 80 samples consisting of 30 samples obtained from raw milk tankers, 30 samples of dairy processing equipments and 20 samples from various surfaces of the production plant was collected. According to the results, 16.66% of the samples obtained from raw milk tankers, 20% of dairy processing equipments and 40% of surface samples were found positive for Bacillus species. Various species of the Bacillus were found; amongst B. cereus with 36% and B. aloe and B. pumilus with 4% occurrence rate, were the most and least abundant species, respectively. Results of biofilm production revealed that 96% of the isolates were capable of producing biofilm. Eventually, it was concluded that conventional CIP procedure is unable to entirely remove the biofilm of Bacillus species from dairy plant surfaces. Hence, there is a need for a new approach to conquer the problem.