The bacteriology of ice cream with special reference to problems of public health control

The micro -organisms which constitute the flora of ice cream are very variable in type and in number. Like the bacteria of milk, they are usually harmless, but conditions of manufacture which permit the inclu- sion and multiplication of large numbers of organisms in the product are the most likely to allow, at some time, contamination by pathogenic bacteria. Owing to the nutritious character of ice cream which provides an excellent medium for the growth of bacteria, these pathogenic contaminants may multiply and they or the toxic products of their metabolism may cause outbreaks of disease. For this reason the control by public health authorities of ice cream productions forms an important branch of modern hygiene