A comparison of the effects of E-beam irradiation and heat treatment on the variability of Bacillus cereus inactivation and lag phase duration of surviving cells

► Bacillus cereus spore inactivation is variable and depends on the inactivation degree. ► The more intense the conditions, the more variable is the number of viable spores. ► Lag phase of individual viable spores after irradiation is variable. ► The more intense the irradiation, the more variable is the individual lag phase. ► Number of survivors after heat treatments are more variable than those after irradiation.