Contamination of Pasteurized Fruit Juices with Bacillus licheniformis in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran

Background and objectives: Bacillus licheniformis is a potential cause of spoilage in pasteurized products. The aim of this study was to identify and isolate B. licheniformis from commercial pasteurized fruit juices distributed in the West Azarbaijan Province, Iran. Methods: Sixteen fruit juice samples including four apple juice and 12 orange juice samples were collected from five fruit juice manufacturing companies in Iran. The samples were tested for the presence of B. licheniformis by culture in specific media and biochemical testing. Suspected samples were also investigated for the presence of the bacterium by polymerase chain reaction using specific primer for the gyrB gene. Results: Three samples (18.75%) from the 16 tested fruit juice samples were found as positive. In other words, one apple juice sample (25%) and two orange juice samples (16.66%) were contaminated with B. licheniformis. Conclusion: Isolation of this bacterium indicates the unsuitable manufacturing conditions and ineffective bacterial decontamination, which might also be favorable for the growth of other fruit juice spoilage bacteria.