Detection of Bacillus cereus from Local Unhusked (Rought) Rice Samples in Sarawak

• Main Author: Rowena, Andriesse
• Format: Final Year Project Report
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) 2017
• Subjects: GE Environmental Sciences; Q Science (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/30506/1/Rowena%20Andriesse%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/30506/

Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) can be found in food and soil. The bacterium can cause foodborne gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhea. The purpose of this study is to determine the occurrence of B. cereus from local unhusked (rough) rice in Sarawak. Unhusked or rough rice samples were collected from the various location in Sarawak. The bacteria was isolated from the samples and was enumerated in nutrient broth for Most Probable Number (MPN). DNA of the bacteria was extracted and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted to detect 185 bp of hemolysin gene in B. cereus. A total of twenty four local unhusked rice were investigated in this study. The bacterial level of B. cereus of all twenty four samples was more than 1100 MPN/g. PCR analysis showed that all the samples were positive of B. cereus. Due to the fording of this study, it is concluded that the local unhusked rice can be one of the potential sources for foodborne outbreak involving B. cereus. This study provides baseline data for future risk assessment study of B. cereus.