^Äëíê~Åí= A response surface methodology (RSM) was developed for predicting the growth rate of _~Åáääìë=ÅÉêÉìë in a tryptic soy broth medium as a function of temperature (10 to 40°C), pH (5.5 to 8.5), and the NaCl concentration (0 to 8%). The primary model showed a good fit (r 2 = 0.920 to 0.999) to a Gompertz equation to obtain growth rates each conditionK=The quadratic polynomial model was found to be significant (é < 0.0001) and predicted values were found to be in good agreement with experimental values (R 2 value of 0.9486). The evaluation of RSM for describing the growth rate of _K=ÅÉêÉìë used the bias factor (B f ) and the accuracy factor (A f ). Both the B f value (1.11) and the A f value (1.50) were within acceptable ranges. This model was provided an efficient and accurate method for predicting the growth of _K=ÅÉêÉìë as a function of the controlling factors. © KSBB hÉóïçêÇëW=êÉëéçåëÉ=ëìêÑ~ÅÉ=ãÉíÜçÇçäçÖó=EopjFI=Bacillus cereusI=ÖêçïíÜ=ê~íÉëI=éêÉÇáÅíáîÉ=ãçÇÉäI=dçãéÉêíò=
fkqolar`qflk=Bacillus cereus is a gram positive, aerobic or facultative anaerobic, spore-forming organism [1] that is able to survive over a pH range of 4.3~9.3 and a temperature range of 4~55°C. B. cereus causes either emesis or diarrhea [2]. The emetic syndrome is mediated by a highly stable toxin that survives high temperatures and exposure to trypsin, pepsin, and pH extremes. The diarrheal syndrome is mediated by a heat and acid-labile enterotoxin. Foods involved in diarrheal outbreaks are quite varied, including vegetables, salads, meats, and casseroles. In contrast, emetic type outbreaks are usually associated with rice in some form, or other starchy foods such as macaroni and vanilla slices [3].The environmental factors of temperature, pH, water activity, and sodium chloride (NaCl) and CO 2 concentrations are often considered constant during growth of microorganisms. It is, therefore, important to predict the growth of microorganisms while taking into account food characteristics and environmental conditions [4]. Predictive modeling provides a fast and relatively cost-effective way to obtain reliable first estimates of microbial growth and survival [5]. Therefore, predictive modeling has been performed to im-G`çêêÉëéçåÇáåÖ=~ìíÜçê= prove the shelf life and safety of foods [6].Modeling the growth of B. cereus has been investigated. Second-order polynomial equations have been proposed to model the growth kinetic parameters depending on independent variables [7-10]. Lanciotti et al.[11] used application of the logistic regression model in food microbiology using B. cereus in model systems based on water activity, pH, temperature, and the ethanol concentration.We have modeled the growth of B. cereus as a function of incubation temperature, pH, and the NaCl concentration. The individual effects and the interaction of these factors were also analyzed using a quadratic response surface methodology. j^qbof^ip=^ka=jbqelap= píê~áåë=~åÇ=`ìäíìêÉ=`çåÇáíáçåë= B. cereus F4810/72 producing an emetic toxin was used in this study. A stock culture was...