Cereulide-producing Bacillus cereus , which causes foodborne illnesses with vomiting, and psychrotolerant Bacillus cereus group strains such as Bacillus mycoides , which can grow at ≥7°C and cause spoilage of refrigerated foods, are significant concerns for the food industry. As such, rapid and simple methods to discriminate cereulide-producing B. cereus and psychrotolerant B. cereus group strains from other B. cereus group strains are needed. Here we developed a novel, rapid, and simple method by MALDI-TOF MS analysis for simultaneous discrimination of cereulide-producing B. cereus and psychrotolerant B. cereus group strains from other B. cereus group strains. A potassium adduct of cereulide was used to detect cereulide-producing B. cereus , and three ribosomal subunit proteins (L30, S16, S20) were used to detect psychrotolerant B. cereus group. A total of 51 B. cereus group strains were analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The biomarkers allowed successful discrimination of 16 cereulide-producing B. cereus and 15 psychrotolerant B. cereus group strains from other B. cereus group strains. The results showed that this MALDI-TOF MS analysis allows simultaneous discrimination of cereulide-producing B. cereus and psychrotolerant B. cereus group strains from other B. cereus group strains. This efficient method demonstrates the potential to be a valuable tool for ensuring food safety.
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