[Sanitary microbiological standards for Bac. thuringiensis, a producer of bacterial insecticides, in plant products].

Survival of Bac. thuringiensis, producers of bacterial insecticides in plant products, was studied in the process of culinary and technological treatment (thermal treatment, preservation, etc.), depending on the extent of dissemination of plant raw material, type of the plant product and pattern of culinary treatment. A study was also made of the viability of the above species in finished products and dishes exposed to varying storage temperatures. According to the data obtained, the use of plant raw material with Bac. thuringiensis at a rate of not over 10(3)/g for vegetables (cabbage, potato, and tomatoe) and not over 10(5)/g for fruit and berries (apples, currants, gooseberry, grape) guarantees their epidermiological safety. At this dissemination level, the finished vegetable products did not show Bac. thuringiensis spores after culinary treatment, while in the processed fruit and berries the remaining small quantities of the spores (about tens or hundreds per 1 ml) did not reproduce. Moreover, their quantity rapidly decreased because of atrophy. However, to have a final judgment about the safety of the spores supplied to the body together with food in the quantities mentioned requires an additional study into potential side effects they can elicit.