BPOM Confirms Baby Milk Formula Free of Sakazakii Bacteria
Thursday, 03 April, 2008 | 14:04 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Head of The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib confirms 96 samples of baby milk formula registered by BPOM is free of Enterobacter Sakazakii bacteria. “The sample was taken from modern and traditional markets,” she said at a press conference at the Communication and Information Department yesterday.

Husniah explained the samples were tested in a sterile microbiologic laboratory of bacteria and fungi, with research costing Rp 1.5 million per sample.

Initially, the sample was under a temperature of 35-39 and 42-46 Celsius degrees. This continued by the inoculation process. If the sample had bacteria and fungi, there would be a colony of bacteria and fungi on the culture.

As the result, entire samples remained clean after 24 hours. It meant the sample did not have bacteria. “Every sample is free of bacteria, including Salmonella, Shigella, Coliform, and Enterobacteriaseae,” said Husniah. “The sample is also free of heavy metals.”

The research was conducted after the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) announced their research by Sri Estuningsih saying 22.73 percent of baby milk formula and food contained Enterobacter Sakazakii bacteria. It can damage important body organs such as blood vessels, brain membrane, backbone, nerves, and baby’s intestines.

Husniah said that BPOM never knew the brand of baby milk formula tested by IPB.

“Actually, there is no food product free from bacteria,” said microbiology expert from Medical Faculty University of Indonesia, Pratiwi Sudarmono. However, there is a condition for bacteria to not being a pathogen and cause a disease.

Pratiwi continued that Enterobacter Sakazakii will not attack the healthy baby. It potentially attacks the baby treated under Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). “The ratio for babies infected by Enterobacter Sakazakii is one in 10 million babies.”

Pratiwi suggested IPB not make a mistake by announcing their research report. Research cannot automatically be considered as a representative of what happens in the field or as a fact. “It is a mistake to understand that research is public data,” she said again.

Sukman Tulus Putra, Head of Indonesian Child Doctors Association (IDAI), said that they have not received any report about children infected by Enterobacter Sakazakii.

Reh Atemalem Susanti