Assessment of microbial flora, characterization and public health implications of two species of smoked fish sold in ‘Otuocha’ Market in Anambra State
1 Department Fisheries Technology, Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri Imo State, Nigeria.
2 Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo, Imo State, Nigeria.
3 Department of Biological Sciences, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Uli, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2023, 19(02), 1526–1535
Publication history:
Received on 12 July 2023; revised on 27 August 2023; accepted on 29 August 2023
Abstract:
Microbiological assessment of fresh and smoked Synodontis schall and Oreochromis niloticus fish species was conducted. Three replicates of fresh and smoked fish samples were aseptically obtained from fishermen and open market in Otuocha area of Anambra State, Nigeria. The culture from organs of fresh fish and smoked samples were inoculated on Nutrient agar (NA.), Salmonella Shigella Agar (SSA), MacConkey Agar (MCA) and Potato Dextrose Agar respectively for heterotrophic bacteria and fungi counts. Colonial and microscopic characterizations of the isolates from the cultured media were examined. There no growth of coliform and Salmonella sp from tissue of the fresh fish and the smoked fish samples. Total plate counts of bacteria and fungi from gills, intestine and skin were found above 1 x 106 cfu/g safety limit recommended for foods. Bacteria count ranged from 1.27 x 107 cfu/g to 2.95 x 107 cfu/g and 1.0 x 106 cfu/g to 2.88 x 108 cfu/g for fungi. Six genera of bacteria namely Salmonella sp, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus sp, Enterococcus sp, Bacillus sp and Pseudomonas sp were suspected from fish samples. Four fungi genera: Saccharomyces sp, Penicillium sp, Rhizopus sp and Mucor sp were indicated in this work. This assessment has revealed the level of gross contamination of fresh fish and safety of smoked fish samples from foodborne microorganisms.
Keywords:
Synodontis schall; Oreochromis niloticus; Coliform; Salmonella; Smoked fish
Full text article in PDF:
Copyright information:
Copyright © 2023 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0