Different risk potential of Bacillus cereus to the dairy industry − keeping up with the old story

Bacillus cereus is one of the major spore-forming bacteria with great genetic diversity in raw milk, dairy raw materials, and finished dairy products, and is widely present in the entire dairy production line. Due to the biofilm formation of B. cereus and the heat resistance of its spores, traditional cleaning and disinfection procedures cannot completely remove the spores, resulting in the presence of B. cereus in the final dairy products. Although much work has been done to identify B. cereus from various dairy samples, an updated knowledge of this spore precursor is still needed. This review describes the prevalence of B. cereus from raw milk to commercial dairy products, the biofilm formation of B. cereus and its ability to cause spoilage in dairy products, and the possible prevention methods.