THE BACTERIOLOGY OF ICE CREAM 199 



BACTERIAL STANDARDS FOR ICE CREAM 



Bacterial standards for ice cream have been set by various 

 cities but it seems that as yet our information regarding the 

 bacteriology of ice cream is too meager to admit of the estab- 

 lishment of fair and safe standards. In at least one instance, 

 however, the institution of a tentative standard was followed 

 by a marked decrease in the average bacterial content of the ice 

 cream offered for sale. Standards which prohibit the sale 

 of ice cream with "excessive numbers" of bacteria undoubt- 

 edly are of value and force the manufacturers to give at least 

 some attention to the quality of the ingredients used and the 

 care employed in the manufacture. Until better methods of 

 detecting pathogens in ice cream are available, it does little 

 good to prohibit the sale of ice cream "containing disease- 

 producing bacteria", and it seems more advisable to use nu- 

 merical standards as the bacterial content gives at least some 

 index of the quality of the ingredients and the care used in 

 production. 



