Cronobacter sakazakii in baby foods and baby food ingredients of dairy origin and microbiological profile of positive samples

- The presence of Cronobacter sakazakii in baby foods and baby food ingredients were studied.
- Two different methods were applied for the isolation of Cronobacter sakazakii from the samples.
- Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. were also studied in the samples.

Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic food-borne pathogen isolated from powdered infant formula (PIF), follow-up formula (FUF) and a variety of foods. Two different methods were used for the isolation of Cronobacter spp. from baby food ingredients, PIF and FUF in this study. Each presumptive C. sakazakii isolate was then subjected to identification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with partial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The prevalence of C. sakazakii was 7.5% and the number of C. sakazakii was between 7 and 15 MPN/g in milk and whey powders. Cedecea lapagei was detected in PIF for the first time in this study. Other pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. were not detected in the samples. Cedecea lapagei is also an opportunistic pathogen and was found in PIF and thus, care must be taken and effective control measures should be applied in the production of PIF.