ABSTRACT: The microbial contamination due to cane sugar transition to the mills is one of the most important factors in increasing sugar lesions in the factory. This study was aimed to isolate dextran-producing bacteria and determine their genus and species. It is a descriptive cross-sectional study which was conducted in year 2014. For this purpose, 200 samples were collected from sugarcane syrups, and then cultured as pourplate and surface. The bacteria were counted and the DNA extracted from the purified bacteria according to the kit protocol. Then, determination of the genus and species of dextran-producing bacteria was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. Data obtained from biochemical, microbial and PCR showed that around 80 strains of leuconostoc have been detected in samples. The results of this study indicate that leuconostoc mesenteroides is the main factor in the production of dextran in sugarcane and beet manufactories. The above mentioned contamination sources can be minimized by reducing the transfer time of burned sugarcane to the factory, as well as the regular physical and chemical washing of the mills.
The determination of mixtures of milk-sugar and cane-sugar
