A comparative microbiological quality assessment of frozen and fresh fishes from Erbil city

Abstract

Background: Since ancient times, the majority of humans have been categorized as pescatarians, depending mostly on seafood and fish as well as their byproducts. Fish is currently in greater demand as it is a good source of protein, which is necessary for maintaining the health of muscles, organs, and blood vessels. Due to their sensitive tissues and aquatic environment, fish are especially prone to microbial infections. It has been suggested that one way to assess the quality of fish is through the monitoring of these bacteria. Objectives: The current study aimed to examine the microbiological quality of fresh and frozen fishes. Materials and Methods: A comparative study was conducted to evaluate the microbial quality of fresh and frozen common carps to raise food safety concerns, Iraq-Erbil city. A total of 50 samples of fishes were collected from local markets and breeding ponds from September 2021 to January 2022. The most probable number (MPN) method was used for the estimation of the total coliform, whereas the horizontal method was used for the enumeration of Salmonella spp. Results: In this study, 53% of frozen samples contaminated with the coliform, whereas 15% of the fresh common carps were contaminated with coliform and passed the acceptable range (<100 MPN/g). Salmonella spp. was not found in any fresh samples, although it was recorded in 20% of the frozen common carps. Conclusion: Further investigations are required with molecular techniques including polymerase chain reaction to determine the species and type of contamination in frozen fishes.