Food safety assessment of milk-based Indian sweets

Milk-based sweets are a staple of Indian cuisine, particularly in regions like Bikaner, Rajasthan, known for their rich dairy culture.However, these sweets are highly perishable and susceptible to contamination by pathogens such as Bacillus cereus, which can cause foodborne illnesses.The present study focuses on the isolation and biochemical characterization of Bacillus cereus from milk-based sweets sold in Bikaner.A total of 300 mawa based and chhana based sweets samples were collected from various local sweet shops in Bikaner.Several biochemical tests (like malonate, Voges Proskauer, catalase, carbohydrate utilization tests etc.) were performed to confirm the B. cereus isolates using HiBacillus kits.Out of which 39 (13%) tested positive for Bacillus cereus.Microbiological analyses revealed the highest contamination in mawa based sweets (16.66%; 25/150) as compared to chhana based sweets (9.33%; 14/150).The findings highlight the urgent need for stringent hygiene practices and quality control measures to ensure food safety in milk-based sweet production.