Tyndallization does not Suppress Bacillus megaterium and May Explain Part of Potato Peel Colic

M Witty^1,

¹Math and Science Department, School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Florida SouthWestern State College, 8099 College Parkway, Fort Myers, Florida 33919, U. S. A.

Cite this paper:
M Witty. Tyndallization does not Suppress Bacillus megaterium and May Explain Part of Potato Peel Colic. American Journal of Microbiological Research. 2023; 11(2):58-63. doi: 10.12691/ajmr-11-2-5

Abstract

There is a recent cooking fad of leaving potato peel intact in food and eating it. Some bacteria from potato epidermis can survive cooking and this paper describes two examples of extremely thermoduric organisms which have been isolated from potato peel after it had been cooked rigorously and repeatedly in the process of Tyndallization. These bacteria have been identified by rDNA analysis of samples taken during Tyndallization. One of them, Bacillus megaterium, has a reputation for causing food poisoning through production of emetic toxins similar to cereulide and may account for some gastric features of Potato Peel Colic. The other, Aeromicrobium flava is only poorly characterized in previous literature.

Keywords:
potato tuber skin peel epidermis colic Bacillus megaterium endophyte rDNA cereulide

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