Question:

Which one of the following microorganisms is NOT responsible for ropy or stringy fermentation of milk?

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Ropiness can be caused by contamination from the environment, dirty milking utensils, or polluted wash-water.
Proper sanitation and thermal pasteurization readily destroy all vegetative ropy-milk bacteria.
  • Alcaligenes viscolactis
  • Enterobacter aerogenes
  • Streptococcus cremoris
  • Bacillus Cereus
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Ropiness (or stringy fermentation) is a dairy spoilage defect where milk becomes highly viscous and forms long, slimy threads when poured, caused by the synthesis of extracellular capsular polysaccharide slimes (exopolysaccharides).

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:

Several bacterial species can cause ropiness in milk:
- {Alcaligenes viscolactis (and A. tolerans): Classic causative agents of low-temperature ropiness in raw milk.
- {Enterobacter aerogenes (and other coliforms): Can produce abundant slimy capsular materials in warm milk.
- {Streptococcus cremoris (specifically slimy/ropy strains of lactic acid bacteria): Sometimes used deliberately to produce traditional Nordic ropy milk products (like *Viili*), but causes undesirable spoilage in standard pasteurized milk.
- {Bacillus cereus (noted as Bacillus Cereus): A spore-forming pathogen that causes "sweet curdling" (due to its rennet-like enzymes) and "bitty cream" (due to phospholipase activity). It is not associated with the production of extracellular mucilaginous slime or ropiness.

Step 3: Final Answer:

Therefore, the microorganism not responsible for ropiness is Bacillus Cereus, which corresponds to option (D).
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