Clostridium perfringens is a gram-positive, anaerobic and spore-forming bacterium. These inactive bacteria are capable of fermenting many carbohydrates. This bacterium is the only type of clostridium bacteria that reduces sulphide. Because of this feature in the food industry is often called sulfide reducing clostridium. Clostridium perfringens reduces nitrate and makes gaseous fermentation in milk.

The disease caused by these bacteria in humans is called perfringens food poisoning. This is because the toxins secreted are different from the toxins secreted by the bacteria staphylococcus aureus and clostridium botulinum. Since this is not well known, the actual figures for the disease are also unknown. The effects of poisoning are usually mild and resolve quickly without the need for medical attention. This type of poisoning is generally found in hospitals, nursing homes, schools and prisons where many people eat together. The number of bacteria increases rapidly and causes disease due to insufficiently cooked food, not sufficiently cooled or slightly heated.

Clostridium perfringens bacteria are very common in the natural environment. It generally lives in the intestines of humans and animals. Fecal contamination is suspected when these bacteria are encountered.

The Most Probable Number (EMS) Method is preferred for counting sulphite reducing anaerobes. This method is generally applied when the number of bacteria is too low to be counted by colony formation. In this method, counting liquid medium is used and this method is used in counting many microorganisms in the food sector.

In advanced laboratories, studies are carried out for the determination of sulphite reducing anaerobe within the framework of microbiological analyzes. These studies are based on standards published by national and international organizations. One of the standards applied is:

• TS EN ISO 7937 Food and animal feed - Horizontal method for counting Clostridium perfringens - Colony counting method