Bacillus cereus contamination is a major food safety problem for Korean fermented soybean products, but few studies have assessed its potential to cause foodborne illness. The objectives of this study were to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of B. cereus isolated from Korean fermented soybean products. B. cereus was detected in 110 of 162 (67.9%) samples. The highest B. cereus frequency was observed in deonjang (68 of 93 samples, 73.1%) and cheonggukjang (18 of 25, 72.0%); however, nonhemolytic enterotoxin was detected only in 22 of 162 samples (13.6%). Although the tested B. cereus isolates showed diverse pulsotypes according to repetitive sequence-PCR banding patterns, they displayed similar antibiotic sensitivity spectra. The low frequency of enterotoxin detection suggests that the potential risk of B. cereus foodborne illness associated with Korean fermented soybean products is lower than generally presumed. However, considering the prevalence of B. cereus and the high content of fermented soybean products in the Korean diet, it is necessary to constantly monitor the level of contamination with B. cereus and its toxins in such Korean food products.
Bacillus thuringiensis microbial insecticide products have been applied worldwide. Although a few cases of B. thuringiensis foodborne illness have been reported, little is known about the toxigenic properties of B. thuringiensis isolates. The aims of this study were to estimate the pathogenic potential of B. thuringiensis selected from microbial insecticide products, based on its possession of toxin genes and production of enterotoxins. Fifty-two B. thuringiensis strains selected from four kinds of microbial insecticide products were analyzed. PCR assay for detection of toxin genes and immunoassay for detection of enterotoxins were performed. The hemolysin BL complex as a major enterotoxin was produced by 17 (32.7%), whereas the nonhemolytic enterotoxin complex was detected in 1 (1.9%) of 52 B. thuringiensis strains. However, cytK, entFM, and ces genes were not detected in any of the tested B. thuringiensis strains. The potential risk of food poisoning by B. thuringiensis along with concerns over B. thuringiensis microbial insecticide products has gained attention recently. Thus, microbial insecticide products based on B. thuringiensis should be carefully controlled.
Surveys on the consumption of caffeinated beverages by high school students (n=886) were performed. Of the students, 97.0% consumed a variety of caffeinated beverages, including carbonated drinks (90.0%), processed milk and cocoa (79.0%), coffee (63.0), teas (52.1), energy drinks (16.4%) and nourishment drinks (15.5%). The frequency of intake per student was 8.2 times per week. Caffeine intake through the caffeinated beverages was 41.53 mg/day, which was accounted for by coffee (51.5%), carbonated drinks (19.6%), processed milk and cocoa (11.5%), teas (11.4%), energy drinks (5.0%) and nourishment drinks (1.1%). Students with high levels of stress, those who consumed snacks twice a day, and those who used a computer (or smart phone) for more than 3 hours per day showed significantly higher caffeine intake. The groups with high caffeine intake experienced heart palpitations, insomnia and pollakiuria. Students indicated that they consumed the caffeinated beverages for the taste (57.9%), waking up (18.0%), thirst (13.2%), etc. (10.9%). They tended to consume drinks with a high content of caffeine to sleep less. In addition, they rarely checked the label, and showed a lack of awareness of the caffeine contents in the beverages, which calls for education.
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