A Study on Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus Cereus Contamination in Pastry Products in Gorgan

Background and Pastry products are an important part of food products in Iran. They are highly consumed now and there is high risk of bacterial contamination in these products. The present study investigated bacterial contamination of creamy pastries with Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. A total of 945 pastry cream (jelly, fruit and plain) samples were randomly taken. All samples were tested according to Iran national standards for microbial tests and data was analyzed in SPSS V.18. The highest level of contamination was found to be with Staphylococcus aureus in summer in pastries with fruit cream (19%). No significant difference was observed in contamination of pastry cream (jelly, fruity and plain) in different seasons (P≥0.05). High level of bacterial contamination in pastry cream calls for more personal and workplace hygiene.