Forty-five Bacillus isolates were obtained from different foods (spices,
grains, dried milk), the isolates were identified using traditional method from
Bergey's manual based on morphological tests (gram staining, spores staining),
physiological t
ests (optimum growth temperature, pH, NaCl concentration) and
biochemical tests (Voges-Proskauer, gelatin hydrolysis, esculin hydrolysis, β-
Galactosidase test, Lysine decarboxylase and Ornithine decarboxylase,
production of acid from different sugars). Bacterial suspensions were prepared
from the isolates and FTIR spectrums were obtained using ATR unit, which
consists of ZnSe prism, by scanning at the range of 4000-400 cm-1. Results
revealed that the isolates represented 5 species of Bacillus (B. pumilus, B.
subtilis, B. lentus, B. megaterium, B. cereus) and the potential of Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR)
method as a reliable method for discrimination among Bacillus isolates, which
is accurate, rapid, easy to apply and cheap.