Bacillus species are often responsible for spoilage of canned foods because of their heatresistant
spores. A simplified identification scheme of Bacillus spp. using five morphological
characteristics and 27 physiological and biochemical properties was elaborated. The
incorporation of the tests into the wells of a microtitre tray facilitates the application in the
canning industry. Using the simplified identification scheme, 115 strains of bacilli isolated
from spoiled canned foods as well as seven reference strains could be identified. There was
good correlation between the standard procedure and the microtitre tray method for all
strains tested. Most of the isolated strains belonged to the species Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus
megaterium and Bacillus brevis.