Evaluation of the bacteriological quality of seafood

Bacteria largely determine the quality of fresh and lightly preserved fish products. This paper surveys traditional and rapid methods for estimation of bacterial levels in seafood. The use of traditional agar techniques is discussed with reference to development of substrates and procedures suited for fish and fish products. This includes estimation of the bacteria specifically involved in the spoilage process. During the last decade, several microbiological rapid methods or principles (DEFT, microcolonies, Limulus lysate, ATP, conductance, microcalorimetry, reduction of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO)) have been suggested for estimating the bacteriological quality of seafoods. A brief survey of these methods and the results obtained is given. Preliminary results on development of poly- and monoclonal antibodies against Shewanella putrefaciens are mentioned. Future research may involve the development of DNA-probes against genes coding for specific spoilage reactions.