The Degree of Bacterial and Eumycetic Contamination of Japanese Cakes

Abstract

There have been few reports in which Japanese cakes were examined for microbiological contamination from the standpoint of food hygiene. The present study was aimed at standardizing microbiological sanitary indices for Japanese cakes based on survey in which these cakes were bacteriologically examined.
The frequency of coliform-group-positive samples was 44.0%, while that of samples in which more than 100 colonies per gram could be detected was 84.0% for viable counts, 50.0% for Staphylococci, 46.0% for yeasts or 62.0% for molds.
There was a tendency that the more the viable counts, the more Staphylococci and yeasts counts as well as the detection ratio of coliform group. No coliform group organisms could be detected in samples with viable counts of less than 100 colonies per gram.
From these results, it will be proposed that the existence of coliform group organisms and viable counts of more than 100 colonies per gram of samples are regarded as two most critical sanitary indices for Japanese cakes.